No Cable? No TV? No Worries.
Ever missed your favorite TV show, didn’t have access to TV, or been bored at work (don’t do this at work, I’m joking…kind of)? Of course you have. I’ll show you how to watch TV over the internet using either Windows or Ubuntu. I’ll start by assuming that you’re really impatient and work towards solutions for people who have more time on their hands.
The first decision to be made is whether you would like to watch the episode by downloading it to your computer, or stream it directly from a web server. The benefit of streaming an episode is that you have instant access to it. The downside of this approach is that the episode is usually highly compressed(sound and video aren’t that great). On the other hand you could use BitTorrent. BitTorrent is much slower, you have to download the episode first but you usually get a much much higher quality product. On the flip side, the major television studios are always looking to sue people for piracy. Let’s start with the software you need….
Programs:
Adobe Flash Player (32 Bit Ubuntu & Windows): This is how most of your streamed files will get to you.
Automatix(Ubuntu Only): If you’re using Ubuntu, you probably already know that it doesn’t come with all the codecs you need to watch different types of media. Automatix also allows you to download other programs that you’re going to need for a positive multimedia experience.
Azureus(Both Ubuntu & Windows): Azureus is a BitTorrent client. It supports plugins, which is important for your protection.
Peer Guardian(Both Ubuntu & Windows): Peer Guardian is a plugin for Azureus. Essentially it attempts to block any connections from the MPAA, RIAA, or anyone else who’s going to sue you for filesharing. No need to download this, you can get it right in the Azureus client by going to plugins.
Swiftfox (Ubuntu Only):Swiftfox is the optimized, 32 bit version of Firefox. If you have a 64 bit version of Ubuntu, you’re going to need this to watch streamed media.
VLC Media Player (Both Ubuntu & Windows): This media player plays just about every file format out there.
Streaming TV Shows:
From The TV Studios Themselves (The main way of getting episodes streamed legally for free):
Streamed from other places (Without Ads, more choices, but probably less legal):
BitTorrent:
- EZTV
- BT Junkie
- IsoHunt
- MiniNova
- Pirate Bay
- SloTorrent
- Torrent Box
- Torrent Spy !!!Before clicking be aware of this story!!!
- X Television Interactive
Editor’s Pick
Want to Own your Episodes?:
I can’t really recommend iTunes or any of the other ways to buy electronic copies of TV shows. They all come with DRM built in. Treat your customers like thieves, and they will become thieves. You’re better off waiting until the boxed set comes out, then at least you have a copy that you can do whatever you want with (well technically they say you can’t, but what are they going to come into your house and stop you from lending the DVDs to your friends?)
P.S. And look, if you’re dumb enough to get caught doing something illegal, it’s not my fault. Take responsibility for your own actions.