The great thing about the TV, is you just turn in on and
there is something to watch… or is there? If you are like
me you can sit flicking the remote, channel after channel
and fail to find anything to hold the attention for longer
than it takes to press the remote again.
The passion and excitement of what you might find on TV has
long since gone, but perhaps now there is a new alternative
growing
Welcome to Online TV. In the days of dial-up, it was
impossible to even consider watching Internet Media on your
computer. But now with broadband content as standard, ‘Click
‘n Play’ TV is beginning to come of age.
No Software, Just Open Firefox…
I am Mac user, when anything new or interesting happens on
the ‘net, I ask myself will they bring out the Mac version?
And for PC users any new software comes with it’s own risks
of bugs, spy ware, and conflicts to other applications.
Well, one of the great features of some Online TV sites,
they run from within your web browser, so there is nothing
to download and install, and you can start watching TV
within seconds.
An example of this can be found at NetChannels.tv
(http://www.netchannels.tv), I opened Firefox and was
instantly transported to TV Heaven. Suddenly the excitement
long since lost of flicking through channels was returning.
NetChannels.tv like other online TV sites is free. There is
nothing to sign up to, or even need to part with an email
address. And there is a lot of content, which thankfully is
neatly organized into sections such as ‘Movies, Music,
Videos, Entertainment’ and even ‘Adult’.
Already I am impressed, my attention has been grabbed for
longer than the normal 30 seconds. Suddenly I am watching
classic Sci-Fi, setting phasers to stun and beaming straight
to me from the computer.
Next I jump to a list of music TV where The Ministry of
Sound channel is showing bright lights and bikini clad girls
gyrating to the beat. And then off to extreme sport where
snow boarders defy gravity and perhaps common sense… In
all there were more than 90 TV channels albeit some more
better than others.
Saving the best for last? If online TV isn’t enough, there
was also a massive collection of online videos to entertain,
with comedy shorts from Monty Python and Ali G, Classic
Cartoons including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. But
perhaps the biggest find is the vast music video
collection, covering every artist from ABBA to ZZ Top.
There is a certain feeling of excitement watching TV on your
computer, the random unknown of what you will find next, the
temptation to see if the ‘Adult’ channels are really what
they say they are, and best of all; there are practically no
adverts to spoil the fun.
One can only wonder as more stations come online how long it
will be before subscription fees and adverts creep in. In
the mean time, I’d say ‘Get it while you can!’
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