Television Without a Tuner - Let’s See What We Have
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Now that we know the basics, let’s look over the programs and applications that offer all channels and make our television experience more delightful.
Free Internet TV 6.3
Contrary to its name it, unfortunately, it isn’t free. But you can try it out for a trial period of 14 days, though the real media format isn’t supported in this trial version. The application costs US$29.95 and it’s made by the Holersoft company. The application can only play the existing TV stations in real time; nothing more.
This means no pre-registered shows, public web cams, or online radio stations, but you can open any external Windows Media or Real Media video flux (via the File->Open Url…) or just pick one from the existing list. The TV channel list is made up of 1600 fluxes. You can even open some of your local videos. A strange choice by the producer is that in the trial version, you are only allowed 5 minute sessions with the software.
As you can see from the attached screen shot above, the interface of the application is really user-friendly; it was designed and built with the user in mind. It is simple, intuitive, straightforward, and most importantly, it works without problems. You can easily filter the channel list by country, genre, and a sort option is also present (by bandwidth or country). Your most frequently used channels can be easily added into the My Favorites list.
An additional plus when compared to the other applications is the presence of the Preview Window. With its help you can easily skim through the channels without closing the main video flux. All in all, this software is the most user-friendly. It has nothing fancy or useless, just what you need; it also has a pretty low price and receives a 7.5/10 score.
OnlineLive 6.3
The producer is JlgSolera and the application is €24.99. The application requests a Real Media and Windows Media Player with Framework 1.1, but all of this can be downloaded from the developer’s site. In the trial version, you have 20 start-ups before you need to purchase it.
However, the application offers a multitude of playback options. Everything from online radio (around 2000), existing TV channels in the list (around 1200), new video fluxes, and some video types on your HDD is supported. Although the Playlists aren’t included, the pre-registered video channels can be discovered in the Media Guide section. The ergonomics of this product are remarkable. It has a delightful and intuitive interface that can be used without any difficulty.
For anyone who is just starting out in the online TV market, the Media Guide is surely a great help. Guiding the new user at every step is the most outstanding help function, but it also offers valuable channels and more complex information too. Fast and easy sorting can never hurt, just like a search option with the same qualities.
Another bonus is that you can even read your newspaper. Support is included for any local newspaper that has a Web presence. The bottom line is that OnlineLive is the most competent software that we have in this market right now. So it takes the Gold Medal with a 9/10 note, but there’s still room for improvement.
JLC Internet TV 1.1
JLC Internet is one of those applications that “shouldn’t even exist.” It shouldn’t be possible for an amateur programmer to enter the contest with the big companies in the software development market right now. But lucky for us, it exists and does quite an outstanding job.
It isn’t full of advanced features, nor does it sport a shiny interface skin, but it encapsulates all of the functions that an average user should ever need to use. This way you get a straightforward interface that won’t waste your precious time by forcing you to configure unnecessary settings that are common sense.
The first impression after the installation is a positive one. It offers a very rich channel list. And you can interact efficiently with other users through the feedback system. This consists of marking the channels that aren’t functioning, rating the channel, or even marking it as spam.
The list displays all the major information, such as the following: bandwidth and short info about the channel, as you can see in the screen shot below. The lack of a more complex application is compensated with an additional sort function.
But what makes this program stand out from the crowd is the option to edit/modify the address, protocol, or the technology used. It offers native support for Real Media and Windows Media fluxes for covering the vast majority of the channels existing on the Net. If you want to watch the channels with adult content, you will have to subscribe for US$20. Beyond that, a product like this can be made by a single coder. I give it an honest 8/10 score.
Next: Conclusions >>
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