TV over broadbandGetting started
The faster your broadband speed, the better
The first thing you'll need to watch TV over the internet is a broadband connection – the faster the better. Dial-up just isn't powerful enough to cope. Check out our Best Buy broadband services report to find out the best broadband options for you.
The difference between streaming and downloading
To view TV on your computer in real time, video data is streamed to your computer via the internet as you watch the show. If your broadband connection can't stream the video quickly enough, the result will be patchy viewing quality and frequent screen freezes while your computer waits for parts of the programme to load.
Downloaded programmes won't have this problem as you receive the entire file before you start watching. But the files are very big so if your broadband connection is on the slow side, you could be in for a long wait.
Big file sizes also mean that if you've got a capped broadband package, you should keep an eye on how much you're downloading. A single episode of Desperate Housewives, for example, could use up several hundred megabytes of your data allowance.
If you exceed your usage limit you may be charged on a pay-as-you-go basis for every extra gigabyte, which can be expensive. If you plan to download or stream a lot of video, an unlimited service is best.
Viewing the files
You can watch downloaded video using Windows Media Player
To find programmes you want to watch or download, just go to the relevant TV channel’s website – there’s usually a link to TV over broadband content from the home page.
Most of the time, accessing a streaming media file or downloading a file is as easy as clicking a link. Some services may require registration and/or payment.
To stream content or watch downloaded video, you'll need a media player. There are several free media players available for download from the internet – Windows Media Player is one of the most common. However, different websites use different media players, so you may have to download several players to take advantage of all the content available online.
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