Streaming Video Broadcasts

Using your computer as a television!?! It’s not as strange as it sounds. I’m sure most of you have played DVDs on your computer, or watched video clips on Youtube. This is simply the next step. 

As a tennis fan, I often use streaming videos, referred to as live streams to see matches played all over the world when they are not available on regular cable television. But don’t fret. The websites I’m about to introduce you to offer a wide variety of programming choices. Like soccer? No problem. Cricket anyone? Pull up a chair. Or maybe you fancy touch downs and free-throws? It’s all there. 

By the same token, if you find yourself away from the tube during primetime hours, find a computer and grab a seat. You’re not out of luck if televisionless.

The best of them all: 

channelsurfing.net

This website updates everyday, so you will have different viewing options available 24/7.  There will is always a mix of sports, sitcom, and drama entertainment. Once you have found the broadcast you would like to watch, click on the link. Depending upon your connection speed and the speed of transmission, it may take a few seconds, to a couple minutes for the video to start streaming. Be patient. It’s well worth the wait in the end.

You’ll find with streaming video, that your video will suddenly and often stop, and you will see a some visual depiction of your video loading (like a moving circle or it will say “buffering”). This phenomenon is called “buffering”. It’s both normal and expected in streaming video. All it means is there was a hiccup in the stream, and your computer must now download the stream again.  This could take a a few seconds or a couple of minutes. You can also click “reload” or the link again to restart the stream.   

A good alternative:

www.channelchooser.com

Although channelchooser.com offers a wider variety of programming options, the programming is far less specialized as it is for channelsurfing. Another downside is the channel you choose today, may not be there tomorrow. So don’t count on being able to tune into the same channel for weeks on end. But if you want a large number of programs to choose from, channelchooser.com is a good choice.

To select a program, click on a programming cateogy (located in the black bar with white script), then click on any channel that appears in the box below that. 

That’s it for now.  Try these two sites out, and leave a comment detailing how it went.