you’re able to spend up to $ 100 a month for various cablegram and satellite services to watch the new season of programming that began this hebdomad . Or , if you ’ve got an internet connection and are willing to be a little more originative than buying episodes for $ 2 off Amazon Unbox or iTunes , you could view most of it for free . There are restriction , of course , but after digging through each communication channel ’s internet site , I find the sheer amount of cost free ( and often commercial-grade free ) content to be astonishing — even for the traditional “ cablegram ” channels . So here ’s how you get it . internet Shows ( HD ) Grade : A+ We ’re go to knock out a big “ duh ” point right off the bat . If you have an high-definition television with an integrated HD radio receiver , there ’s a good chance you may get all of the major networks ( ABC , NBC , CBS , FOX and even PBS ) in HD for no cost at all . How ? Over the breeze ( OTA ) HD via antenna — a signal that probably has less compression than transmission line or satellite . Stick it to the man by purchasing any UHF / VHF antenna . If you do n’t have the fourth dimension / money for a roof mounted antenna , we ’ve had succeeder with the flat ( non rabbit eared)RCA ANT1500 . It runs about $ 30 . To happen the OTA groove offer in your area , gohere . web Shows ( Runner Up Options ) Grade : Mostly Honor Roll
For NBC and Fox / FX programs including 30 Rock , The Office , Heroes , and House , Hulu is your good runner - up imagination to OTA HD ( full show listhere ) . The quality is n’t quite as beneficial as you ’d get in a stock def program , but the shows are usable commercial innocent online and play instantly in full cover mode.ABC.comis superb as well , offering their highest tell on shows like Desperate Housewives , Grey ’s Anatomy and even 4 seasons of Lost in HD streaming.CBS.comis the most unsatisfying with somewhat random , circumscribed offerings of their programming , and no episode of their top - rated CSI show available online . BravoGrade : F
Our first cable television epithelial duct commence with a strike - out . Bravo has a immense pollex print online , all of their content is chopped into tiny clips , as if sliced and diced by Top Chef contestants into a bemock plate of amuse bouche . Bravo ’s site lacks any full installment of their big show ; Hulu lacks them too ( which is a bit surprising because NBC owns both entity ) . move on … Cartoon web / Adult SwimGrade B+
Both Cartoon connection and its after dark Adult Swim alter - ego offer substantive content online . It ’s stock streaming calibre , but the embedded video goes full screen door and quite a few original shows ( like The Boondocks ) as well as syndicated show ( like Family Guy ) are available in incessantly revolve episode . Comedy CentralGrade : A+
Sometimes it seems like Comedy Central plays nothing butThe Daily ShowandThe Colbert Report . Luckily , both of these programs are available in full online dating back several weeks ( the terms is that you have to put up with a few commercials ) . A immense amount ofSouth Park’sback catalogue is available as well . But do n’t go to Comedy Central ’s chief land site . Instead , reach up the links that we cleverly hid in each show ’s title . Discovery Networks(Discovery Channel , TLC , Animal Planet , etc ) Grade : F-
This is where you take a blow for being chintzy . The only programs currently offered online from Discovery Networks are Meerkat Manor , Flip That House , Smash Lab and Project Earth . Plus , you ’ll also have to download their player ( ick ) to keep an eye on these program . One of , if not the highest grass show on Discovery Networks is What Not To wear thin . Needless to say , it ’s not part of their on-line lineup . But kudos to Discovery for not contract Sunrise Earth to YouTube sizes . ESPNGrade : A for Effort , C- for Execution
It ’s not HD . It ’s not even SD . But while the lawful sport lover might sense cold-shoulder by ESPN360 ’s solving , no one can question the content . Quite simply , there ’s more on ESPN360 than the real ESPN and ESPN2 combined . At any time , you’re able to ascertain a masses of live major sports game — over 10 while we ’re writing this . And if you blank out to tune in , ESPN360 keeps the capacity online for 24 - 48 hours . The big match : ESPN360 wo n’t work with all internet provider ( depending who your ISP is , you may not be able to get at the player).FXGrade : B- and Improving
On their website , FX promises complete show “ coming soon . ” But until then , we have an alternative . In case you did n’t see the bank note above , many FX shows are available on Hulu . Their everlasting show listing ishere . ( Note : Hulu claims to have The Shield , but its linkup come up dead.)MTVGrade : B+
Good news and bad news . The good news is that SpikeTV has an excellent , high quality video player that offers most of their shows commercial message - free , and appearance are loose to find in square episode lists . The defective news is that if you look out SpikeTV for Ultimate Fighter — their biggest show — you’ll still have to tune in the old - fashioned way . Travel ChannelGrade : FF
Does anyone ascertain USA anymore ? If so , Monk , Psyche , Burn Notice and In Plain Sight are available on their site . Streaming is firm and tone is somewhere around SD widescreen . About three sequence of each show are uncommitted at a fourth dimension in rotation and a pretty annoying DirecTV logo knocks the full screen player off center . If you ’re not quenched with the USA website , Huluhas a decent pick of USA depicted object as well . When It ’s Worth Paying For If you do n’t have a media PC , then the public lavatory of watch television on your television may be worth the big premium for cable television / satellite . Then again , a few hundred dollar can corrupt you a herculean media microcomputer that will not only allow you to watch streaming mental object , but record OTA HD with a tuner . How much is your cable bill per month ? If you watch niche pursuit channels like TLC , Bravo or Travel Channel , you ’ll find that only circumscribed content is available at all online ( through serve like Amazon Unbox ) and , of line , it costs money . Still , if you only apply Bravo for , say , Top Chef , corrupt a season through Unbox for $ 23 is n’t the bad choice to a multi - month cable television subscription . But most of all , if you want to watch non - connection content in HD , cable and satellite are both , by far , your in effect choice . Even with as much as Comcast and DirecTV compress HD sign , you ’ll be looking at a picture that ’s far more beautiful than rain cats and dogs web contentedness or what you may buy from Amazon or iTunes ( at the time of this committal to writing ) . But if your armed service supplier still does n’t offer the smaller cable channel in HD , then just why are you renting that boxful again ?
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