streaming video question

[egdufwollamhsram1851]

This may not be the proper place, but i am pulling the plug on some set top boxes and dvr to cut the cable cost.

Does any one have suggestions on devices for steaming video and or where you find content that is available?

Will they work with pc's or only tv's?

thanks

[fink]

I did that a few years ago. Besides getting around 25 digital TV stations OTA with a home made 4 bay antenna I stream all sorts of sports and other shows to my TV via a computer (HDMI input) I've set up for that specific purpose (media server).

You can google "stream whatever the show/event is" and find many results or you can go to many tv station's websites and/or network's websites to see if they stream directly.. lots do esp major networks like FOX, NBC etc. Also there's Hulu and sites like that, that have tons of free programs and Livestream, Youtube etc.

You may want to avoid dodgy looking private streaming sites though, esp free ones.. they're run by individuals who get paid by ad clicks and often those sites are laden with malware and can easily infect your computer and most of those sites also break copyright laws by broadcasting illegally.

If you use a VPN/proxy in your browser you can also watch shows from other countries.. like the BBC. I use Zenmate addon with Firefox to do that.

One thing to keep in mind is if you watch a lot of streamed events the bandwidth can add up quickly and if you have an internet service with a capped limit then you'll want to keep an eye on how much you're using. For eg 3 hours of watching HD content can easily use up to 3-4 gigs.

[egdufwollamhsram1851]

Thanks

Do you get mlb baseball or espn networks?

If my high speed cable would have limits i don't know?

tks

what device do you use?

sports are more for me, but it depends on the time of day, my wife would be more the movie buff, she uses an ipad air

[fink]

Do you get mlb baseball or espn networks?

Major US sports events usually have a fee to watch from their own sites. For the most part the only major events I watch are OTA except F1 racing which I get free from the BBC (see above) and Monday Night Football from another UK broadcaster. Not sure about ESPN.. check out their website to see what they offer.

If my high speed cable would have limits i don't know?

You'd need to check with your ISP to see what plan you have or maybe it's on your monthly bill/invoice.


what device do you use?

My computer is running Windows 7 pro connected to my TV HDMI input. If you have a decent laptop then you could use that. If your wife uses her ipad then she'd need to connect to your wireless router. There are usually apps available to watch shows on a tablet but I don't usually do that at home and I don't know much about ipads so I can't really advise.

[Train]

Seeing the great lakes bit and guessing you maybe in the Charter area

http://stopthecap.com/2015/03/05/cha...forced-anyway/

[egdufwollamhsram1851]

That's interesting. One more set top box leaving the house in a couple days. The tech was here on Monday, told his bosses they were money grubbing thieves,

[egdufwollamhsram1851]

Seeing the great lakes bit and guessing you maybe in the Charter area

http://stopthecap.com/2015/03/05/cha...forced-anyway/

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/charte...160323240.html

[Train]

Dang, but they need to speed up their internet about double for what I get here for $50.

[egdufwollamhsram1851]

Dang, but they need to speed up their internet about double for what I get here for $50.

They are real good for "taking" but the opposite on "giving"

if i had a choice!

[fink]

I've had this link for a while.. it's a site that lists many hundreds of free streaming TV broadcasts worldwide. There may be some things you'd be interested in. There are lots of news, educational type shows and movies although it is international so much of it is not in english.. it's broken down by countries too though so finding english broadcasts is easy. There are lots of links to local TV stations across the US in the "countries" tab that are broken down by region.

http://wwitv.com/

I've found that occasionally some broadcasts from potentially risky countries like China or Russia sometimes ask you to install extra software to view the content. Don't do that. Just close the window/tab and leave.

[egdufwollamhsram1851]

Thanks
Some boxes gone, no decision yet
tks