4 ways to watch TV for FREE

4 ways to watch TV for FREE

Best Buy Exclusive 03/13/2010

People enjoy watching TV. What they don’t enjoy is paying for it. Good news! Now you don’t have to (and you don’t have to risk jail time either.) So before you bribe the cable guy, or resort to BitTorrent (the modern equivalent of bribing the cable guy), have a look at these options for viewing TV for free… and within the confines of the law. All of them are better than hanging out creepily in front of your neighbor’s living room bay window.

Get an Antenna

Antenna television is The Peoples’ TV. Since the dawn of broadcasting, a certain portion of the airwaves has always been allocated to local network affiliates and public access. Provided you had a set and an antenna (or a really good coat hanger), you were good to go. Well, if you think antenna TV went RIP with the DTV transition, think again. Sure, today’s HDTV antennas may look a little goofy, but if they’re hooked up right, the picture quality can be better the satellite or cable (and the signal is totally free!)

Surf the Interwebs

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know you can watch 30 Rock (and a zillion other TV shows) for free on the Internet. All you have to do is sit through a few commercials. What? You HAVE BEEN living under a rock? Okay, here’s how you do it then. You can go to sites like Hulu and TV.com (both aggregate videos from different networks) or, you can go to the networks themselves (just about every television network has a certain amount of free video content on their website.) Enjoy ‘em now before they start charging.

Check your Phone Contract

Many mobile phones can access video on demand and/or mobile TV services. Sometimes these goodies are included with your data plan. Other times these goodies cost extra. Wait, how is that free? Well, technically, it’s not. (Sadly, all mobile plans cost money.) BUT, if you didn’t know you had it (and you didn’t know you were already paying for it), boy howdy does that feel like free! So take another look at that 2-year contract, because if you’re already buying the cow, you might as well drink the milk.

Hit the Library

Reading a script from your favorite TV show is often more rewarding than actually watching the episode. You know, in the same way that listening to a baseball game on the radio at the bottom of a well is better than sitting behind home base: It’s not. Still, most libraries offer free DVD rentals, which could include the latest season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. However, curb your enthusiasm, because competition for newer titles is fierce. But you should have no problem getting your hands on I Love Lucy, season 3… this time next year.

Comments

Anonymous

Language on bestbuy.com

excuse me. Can we please keep this in English?

Anonymous

hm

действительно, не кчему придраться

Anonymous

мой комментарий

Даже и придраться не к чему, хотя я люблю это дело ))

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Did You Know

You can play Sudoku on your TV

All you need is a love of integers and an Internet connectable TV that can access Yahoo! Widgets. Remember, that’s Sudoku (the puzzle game), not Sodoku (the infection from rats).

Online news beats paper news

When it comes to getting your news, the Interwebs are more popular than paper, now. Or radio. But TV still reigns supreme. And what’s the number one news topic across the board? Click here to find out.

Soon we’ll all have bionic eyes

At least that’s what the founder and Chief Inspector of the Geek Squad thinks. Don’t believe us? Click here. Do believe us? Still click here.

You can watch hoops at work

Enjoy the college basketball tournament from the (dis)comfort of your cube. Here’s a link to get FREE, live streaming of all the games on your computer. Just remember, keep one eye on the ball and the other on the location of your boss.

Your HDTV can go wireless

Rocketfish makes an adapter that can wirelessly send HD signals up to 32-7/8’. (They tried SO HARD for that extra 1/8-inch.) Now you can mount your TV far away from your Blu-ray Player. (Far = 32-7/8’)

The Internet has a speedometer

Speed matters when downloading movies on your Internet connectable TV. Geek Squad recommends at least 1.5 Mbps for standard def video and 4 Mbps for HD. Don’t know your Mbps from your NSFWs? Here’s a free speed test.

Pop culture guilt can be cured

It’s just like carbon trading: Every hour spent watching PBS earns you the right to watch one episode of Jersey Shore. It’s a scientifrical fact, bro. Now let’s hit the hot tub.

There’s a new kid in town

The town is Los Angeles, and the kid is Sezmi, a new way to get your TV. Sezmi offers live, recorded, on-demand and online content, all personalized to you. (And the service starts at $4.99 a month!) If you live in LA, check it out.

Some of the best HD is FREE

Well, you’ll likely need to buy an antenna, but once it’s hooked up, you’ll discover that the picture quality of over-the-air HD is amazing. Sure, it’s mostly local channels, but hey, free is free.

YouTube began with elephants

The first video ever posted on YouTube starred two elephants and a German. "Me at the zoo" was uploaded on April 23rd, 2005 by Jawed Karim, one of the site’s founders. The video lasts only 19 seconds.

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How Do I?

What The Plug

Composite Video / Stereo Audio

These solid, dependable A/V cables create sound that you can hear and a picture you can see. Nothing fancy, but life would suck without them (although life would suck less with HDMI...).

Component Video Connection

If you’re currently using a S-video connection, this tri-colored beauty is a step up. If you’re currently using an HDMI connection, it’s a step down. Like Malcolm, it’s in the middle.

DVI (Digital Visual Interface)

They made it on digital. You watch it on digital. This high-bandwidth connection bypasses those dreaded analog video conversions (analog video conversion = eating soup with a fork).

Optical Digital Audio

Get clearer sound from your CD or DVD player by connecting digitally to your receiver. Optical signal means less interference, thus making explicit lyrics more explicit.

Coaxial Digital Audio

Let your receiver do the job it was born to do, and hook it digitally to your DVD or CD player. This electrical connection offers a much sweeter sound. Coaxial. That’s a funny word. Coaxial.

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

USB was supposed to eliminate all other cables. By the time it does that, cables will be obsolete. Until then, it gets most stuff into and out of computers, including newer TVs. No bus pass needed.

Stereo Audio Connection

Basic 2-channel analog connection gets sound moving from your CD player to your home theater receiver. Available in white and red. Operators are standing by…in 1987.

S-Video Connection

The S-Video squeezes all of the color and light from your VHS, Hi8 or DVD player and pours it onto your screen. If HDMI is an option and you’re using this, it’s time for an intervention.

HDMI

Simply put, this convenient, one-cable solution for digital connectivity means:
High (maximum sweetness) Definition (every little detail) Multimedia (whatever you’ve got) Interface (CONNECTED).

Coaxial A/V Connection or RF

This guy has been known to hook cable or satellite to your TV. It’s also been known to make you bleed if you poke it. Much like smooth jazz, it should come with a warning label.

Ethernet

For wicked fast streaming and downloading, run this beauty directly between your Connected TV and your router. It’s reliable. It’s secure. Perfect for long walks on the Interweb.

IEEE-1394 Connection

AKA FireWire or iLink. With enough of these, you can connect up to 63 compatible, electronic devices and—theoretically—control them all with one remote. Perfect for control freaks.

RGB Connection

It’s not just for monitors anymore. If your TV has one, connect it to your computer and play PC games on your plasma. If you have surround sound, even better (for you, not the neighbors).

Switchbox

Perfect for hooking your Atari up to your Zenith. If you’re still using one, put down the Missile Command and come in for an upgrade (and bring that analog TV, we’ll recycle it).

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