Live TV Online Free

In my last couple posts I talked about some of the challenges I’ve had in finding a good option for watching free live tv online. I don’t know about you but for me there is a definite trade-off between spending hours scouring the internet looking for a few channels here and a few there and perhaps making a small upfront investment to have someone (in this case software) do it for you.

This is the option I have settled on. I checked-out three of the most popular software packages that promise to deliver 1000′s of channels direct to your PC.

The one that I recommend is Satellite Direct. 

Some of the factors I took into consideration are:

Ease of Installation

Not really a lot to say here.  I would say installation took less than a minute and had no issues.

Software Interface / Ease of Use

This is one area where Satellite Direct stood out. Everything is very well laid out. It really couldn’t be much simpler.

1. Select if you want to watch live TV online or radio.
2. Choose your country or if your feeling adventurous some other country! There are close to 100 countries to pick from.
3. Select a channel and click Play

That’s all there is to it.

Channel Selection

Ok, so I have touched on this before. The software packages I tried advertised between 3,000 and 5,000 channels. I really don’t know how they are permitted to make these claims but…

HERE’S THE TRUTH:

As I said I am recommending Satellite Direct which happens to advertise 3,500 channels. Assuming many of you reading this are interested in American channels I would say there are probably somewhere between 800 and 1,000 channels to choose from.

Over the last few months I have probably tried a couple hundred channels and I would say my success rate is probably 1 out of 10 are worth watching!

How’s that for honesty? If you have ever tried searching different sites online for free live tv this shouldn’t really surprise you too much.

This brings me to another feature that basically sold me on this software.

Favorites

Since all these tv streaming sites have such a low batting average, for me it is absolutely a must that once you find a channel you are happy with that you can bookmark it somehow for the future. Satellite Direct offers this. With a few clicks of your mouse you can save channels to a Favorites folder.

There is also functionality built in where you can rate channels using a star system and also make comments if there’s anything you may want to make note of.

Customer Service

I feel I need to split this up to be fair.

As far as what I would call technical/software service I would have to give Satellite Direct an A. I had a couple issues with updating to newer versions of the software and they were quite professional and helpful. Turnaround time was 24-48 hours.

I have also contacted them a couple times with more general/nice to know questions and the replies were a bit hit-and-miss. I’d still give them a passing grade but it’s pretty clear their priority is making sure the technical issues get top priority.

Cost

Satellite Direct is a one-time payment of $49.95. The other two products I tried were $39.95 and $79.95 but I wouldn’t be comfortable recommending either one of them.

Do I think Satellite Direct is worth $49.95?

ABSOLUTELY! After using Satellite Direct for the last few months I have close to 30 channels saved to my Favorites that I have good results with. Some of them are the big networks like ABC, CNN and ESPN and some are more special interest like hobbies or DIY. I have also saved a few good channels for kids shows. Plus, there are hundreds of other channels I haven’t even gotten around to checking-out yet.

For what you actually get this is a terrific investment. Whether you’re relaxing in a coffee shop, stuck in an airport or perhaps you have a bedroom or two with no cable connection this software is all you need to watch live tv online. With no hardware, no monthly fees and unlimited usage you really can’t go wrong.

==>  Click Here to get LIVE TV ONLINE  <==

Where to start? If you’re like me you may have already spent a lot of time searching online for free live streaming tv channels. How have you made out? Personally I found the whole experience frustrating and to be honest maddening!

There are dozens maybe hundreds of sites scattered around the internet making various claims of streaming live online TV for free. I took the time to try to understand what is really going on here and exactly what is being offered.

Very little is free in this world!

Strictly speaking free connotes financial cost so yes there are some sites where you can watch some TV at no financial cost but is it really free?

How valuable is your time? It can take a lot of trial and error before finding even one channel that is worth watching.

What about your sanity? While you may not have to pay anything upfront you will be bombarded by advertisements that pretty much destroy your viewing experience. Click on some of these ads and who knows where they’ll take you or what scripts they will load on your PC.

This is not meant to be a fear-mongering type of article simply a description of what’s out there.

What exactly are all these TV to PC websites offering?

Well, one name for it is Internet TV. Basically you don’t need an antenna (aerial), satellite dish, receiver or cable connectors. All you need is your PC or laptop and a connection to the internet. Sounds good so far.

The truth is this is pretty much an unregulated industry and ever-increasing in popularity with consumers so product vendors will say just about anything to get you to buy their product…”thousands of channels”…”never pay another cable bill”…

Who can you trust?

Certainly not any vendor websites. Download any of their software and you will have to agree to a long list of terms which basically absolves them of any and all liability as to what they actually deliver.

Now you can choose to trust me or not. I have tried out three different paid products and will be recommending one of them in the future but I think what I have to say may surprise you! Anyway back to the subject at hand.

What TV Channels Can You Watch Online For Free?

I can tell you right now you will not find premium channels for free anywhere. Why would say HBO allow this? They wouldn’t. Some products I’ve found however do provide access to networks like ABC, NBC, CBS and ESPN.

Most online TV products out there advertise anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 channels. Ok, first of all this encompasses channels from all over the world so you can do your own math and immediately take into account the relative size and development of your country and its media. As a very ballpark estimate I would say the US channels account for maybe 1/3 of all channels.

I should clarify though, you can certainly watch channels from other countries if you wish. Personally, I live in Canada and have been listening to a music station from the Dominican Republic – reminds me of my last vacation and helps get me through the long winter!

Ok, so we’re talking anywhere from a few hundred to a thousand or so TV channels for US viewers. Well, the truth is many of them end up being hit-or-miss, sometimes they’re offline or perhaps they’re only available in local markets. Some channel’s resolution is poor or sometimes the sound lags the picture by a second or two which makes it difficult to watch. Actually finding something you want to watch can be tricky.

So What Are The Best Options For Watching Live TV Online?

My next post is going to try to sort through some of these issues and present a fairly straightforward approach for finding good quality live TV streaming online.