[robtonet]

is there a way to do it ....and if so .....i cant find it.......tho, i find all kinds of stuff claiming free-------free after you buy this crap or that crap.........--is there a way to logon to a site......skype like- radiotime like.........and watch and listen to cable tv. on my laptop......doesnt seem to be, in spite of all the claims........if so i cant find it, yet?

thank you

[leroys1000]

There is software out there that plays free stations from
around the world,but it's not worth it and you can usually
find a free version.
Probably what you have been seeing.
As far as free cable,not gonna happen.
Cable is pay and they don't broadcast across the web.
Some of the individual stations may at times,stream some
of the shows from their website.
Might check that out.
Might also check out sites like Hulu.
http://www.hulu.com/

[JohnWill]

If it seems too good to be true... (you can finish the sentence).

[wiley8425]

Originally Posted by robtonet

is there a way to do it ....and if so .....i cant find it.......tho, i find all kinds of stuff claiming free-------free after you buy this crap or that crap.........--is there a way to logon to a site......skype like- radiotime like.........and watch and listen to cable tv. on my laptop......doesnt seem to be, in spite of all the claims........if so i cant find it, yet?

thank you

No. Not legally anyway. And like another poster said, anything you pay for (as in a program to watch tv online) is probably available elsewhere for free. The only exception to this is content provided by the networks themselves which can usually be found on their websites or on sites like Hulu that are operated by them.

[neil21stirling]

The only actual legal tv station viewer i know of at the moment without need for a download is
http://www.freetubetv.net

there are plenty other sites out there that have flash videos of tv shows but most are illegally uploaded videos.
Best idea is to just use actual tv stations websites for viewing thier shows. Most tv channels now let you view thier shows online from thier website for if you manage to miss episodes of series etc.
If in the US FOX i know for a fact lets you watch most of its shows online,
in the UK there is plenty of legal alternatives such as 4od, BBC iplayer etc.

[linuxphile]

hulu.com is pretty good. Some stations have begun posting content or advertising that full episodes are available via their websites. While on the road I watched prior episodes of NCIS from my laptop without downloading a viewer or the content. The episode was streamed youtube like in a flash player.

[durant125]

I don't know if it's legal but I heard if you have cable internet just unplug from your modem into tv and walah basic cable.

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by durant125

I don't know if it's legal but I heard if you have cable internet just unplug from your modem into tv and walah basic cable.

That would probably be legal, depending on your service contract... usually if you have an internet-only service on cable, the cable company will put a filter on the line that blocks TV frequencies, so you won't be able to watch them anyway if you're not paying for basic cable service.

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by Soundy

That would probably be legal, depending on your service contract... usually if you have an internet-only service on cable, the cable company will put a filter on the line that blocks TV frequencies, so you won't be able to watch them anyway if you're not paying for basic cable service.

I'm actually doing this right now. Since I've got a HDTV, I can tune in local HD channels and I get a rudimentary channel guide of digital channels.

I get no premium channels of any kind but I don't watch TV much, so it's fine. However, it's cool being able to watch the HD feed of local channels when something is going on, like a sports event I'm interested in or a Presidential address of some kind.

Peace...