TV through internet is a broad term. People use it to describe streaming services, IP based television, Video On Demand and many other, sometimes greatly different
services.
In this article we are going to try to make you understand and enable to make the right choice.
First, there are many websites out there providing streaming of movies and TV shows. Very often, they are hosted on services like Megavideo or Duckload. Be advised that, although being a great and easy way to quickly watch an episode of your favourite TV show or an older favourite movie of yours, these kind of websites are a legal grey area and very often full of advertising. And, even worse, there are not only a few websites trying to skim you with adware, malware or even viruses. So caution and regular system scans are a must when going this route.
But what if you want to watch actual TV through internet ? There are plenty of options too. Some are legal and some are not. If we stay in the legal grey area for just a few more moments, let’s have a look at the like of websites streaming actual TV channels over the web. This is very common and popular during for sport events, as the NFL, NBA and NHL in North America , as well as the most popular soccer or football leagues in Europe, including the UK, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal and not to forget all Eastern European leagues which become more and more popular these years.
For some of the sites streaming “real” TV through internet, you will need to install a software or browser plugin like TVU or Sopcast. These are based on the P2P method, which is used to bypass bandwidth issues on the hosting server. The software will automatically for a network of all clients currently watching the channel, and load-balance the streaming between all clients – which means once you watch a channel, you are at the same time sending it to other people using the same software. This might have a serious impact if you have a lower bandwidth, not to speak about the unpleasant surprise you would have if you have a volume based subscription with your internet provider.
Last but not least, there is also a set of official and legal software on the market, which allows you to watch TV through the internet. Some are plain and simple installed on your computer and let you choose a channel to watch, some are even integrated in a so called “setop” box, which you can connect directly to your TV and enjoy television streamed over the internet.
