How to Get Free TV on a PC
The amount of television content available on the Internet is constantly growing, giving viewers more options than a traditional cable or satellite company could offer. Online television also has the benefit of offering programming anytime the viewer wants it, rather than being tied to a rigid programming schedule. This makes it a great alternative for those with active lifestyles. Most networks offer recently aired episodes online, and many sites stream classic television shows as well. These streams are usually accompanied by short advertisements before and sometimes in the middle of shows, just like the ones on traditional television.
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Instructions
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Decide which show to watch. If it is a show that aired within the past two or three weeks, go directly to the network's official website and check its episode listings.
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Look at the content on Hulu.com or Spreety.com (see Resources) if you are unsure what you want to watch or are looking for an older show. These sites are easy to browse and have archives of many favorite shows. They also have links to the recent shows posted on the network sites.
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Use a specialized website if you are looking for something less mainstream. For example, if you are looking for black-and-white classics, try Retrovision.tv. For anime cartoons, try Animefreak.tv (see Resources).
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Click the icon for the show you wish to watch. At this point, one of two things may happen. The show may start playing, or a message may pop up that tells you to download a media player. Most new PCs come loaded with media players, such as Windows Media Player, QuickTime or RealPlayer. If your computer doesn't have a player, however, you will need to download it from the media player's official site. You will get there by following the link that accompanies the message.
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Let the advertisements play. The main show will not play until the advertisement is complete, and these ads cannot be fast forwarded. This is how the networks make money to continue offering the shows free to the viewer.
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Click the "Full Screen" button to make the image fill the entire monitor the way it does a television set. This is usually located on a toolbar that stretches underneath the video and looks like a computer screen. If you do not follow this step, the show will play on a small screen that appears on the Web page. To leave full screen mode, press the "Escape" key on the keyboard.
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Tips & Warnings
Most of the sites that offer free streaming TV shows also have free streaming movies.
Some sites that offer free television shows will ask to put adware on your computer before allowing access to their service. This is not necessary because many reputable sites only play ads when you watch. If you accept this adware, it can increase the number of pop-up ads you experience while online.
Resources
- Photo Credit computer for work image by lidia_smile from Fotolia.com
