Streaming Web Internet TV Clients
Many cable television and satellite channels now broadcast continuous sports coverage and many other live sporting events from around the globe. To supplement regulated streaming broadcasts by legitimate providers, individuals are utilizing their own broadband connection to the Internet to re-broadcast television network programming and pay-per-view programming.
Web sites such as JustinTV (www.justin.tv) provide a web based means to view streaming programming via your web browser and the Macromedia (Adobe) Flash plugin. However, the streams are frequently shut down by authorities regulating the re-broadcast of licensed televised events. Pay-per-view and sporting events are typically blocked from this and most other high profile web sites offering streaming television over the Internet.
Certain software has been developed to allow the reception of streamed television content over the Internet. Some of the software utilizes a P2P (peer-to-peer) networking technology, which makes it much more difficult for copyright holders to block content. Via these applications individuals are able to receive and view televised events, often for free. Another name for streaming P2P is Streaming Torrents.
Some of the Streaming Web Internet TV Clients (client software) include their own video player. However, most rely on software that must already have installed on your PC to render the video content. Such software requirements often include Windows Media Player and RealPlayer. VLC player is the best available alternative to the traditional Windows commercial software.
Contents
SopCast
- Freeware
A simple, free way to broadcast video and audio or watch the video and listen to radio on the Internet. Adopting P2P(Peer-to-Peer) technology. SoP is the abbreviation for Streaming over P2P. Sopcast is a Streaming Direct Broadcasting System based on P2P. The core is the communication protocol produced by Sopcast Team, which is named sop://, or SoP technology.
You can do more than just be a content viewer. You can build your own TV stations comparable with large commercial sites with minimal resources. Using SopCast, you can serve 10,000 online users with a personal computer and a home broadband connection.
review: Although the occasional pay-per-view Wrestling or UFC fight is available on SopCast for english speaking individuals in North America, the vast majority, if not 99% of the content is low quality, non-english, Asian television. The technology is the best available. The quality and reliability of SopCast is unmatched. The software works well and delivers crisp streaming content and maintains a stream for the duration of the event. However, there's simply nothing of interest to watch using SopCast the vast majority of the time, unless you're seriously interested in watching 4' tall Asian "Athletes" play ping pong all afternoon. North American programming databases are not maintained and there are fewer and fewer quality content streamers. SopCast special event wrestling streams and NFL football streams are often terminated about half way into viewing. SopCast was once much better but currently (as of 2009) support is waning. Streams suffer the same reliability issues as do regular web streams. You can't count on a SopCast stream getting you though an entire sports event.
SopCast Resources
- SopCast English Programming Forum - English spoken sports related channels and events.
- MyP2P.eu - SopCast and other software programming guide.
Solway's Internet TV and Radio Player
- Freeware
Stream TV
- Commercial Payware
This program has many features such as Full Screen mode, ability to be linked to a remote control device, easily movable window for more convenient viewing experience.
review: Mostly foreign content.
Ahusoft Super Internet TV
- Free and Commercial Payware
Free program for watching and browsing thousands of TV channels and radio stations freely available on the internet.
TV - TVexe
- Freeware
A freeware application for Windows that is an extremely easy to use application and anyone can find their stations on TV. Music, News, Educational, Sports & Shopping channels are sorted in a very easy to find way, together with TV in English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese & Arabic sections.
Online TV Player
- Commercial Payware
SyokTV P2P Player
- unknown
TVSoft TV Player Classic
- Freeware
StreamTorrent
- Freeware
Stream Torrent is a free software program for the Windows operating system that allows users to watch - and stream - TV and videos over the Internet. The Stream torrent can be used to access hundreds of famous channels from around the globe. This application is spyware free and may be the next generation of P2P streaming if development continues. It was reported that development had been suspended.
A bandwidth exceeded message may appear on the regular download link. The following Google Groups link has a mirror.
Veetle
- Freeware
Veetle is a project of Stanford University that brings you hundreds of TV channels to your browser - no external application is required*. The good news is that many of these channels are useful (especially for sports fans) and the streaming quality is stable and high quality. The media player looks slick and refined and it loads incredibly quickly. You can watch CNN, Fox News and other custom made channels. Veetle is a Silicon Valley startup seeking to give the power of high quality video broadcasting back to the people. On Veetle, you can watch video broadcast in TV and HD quality. What's more, you can broadcast your own content in high quality. This seems to be a very popular streaming application.
review: Veetle is a web browser plugin. The streams typically are reliable and there is a good selection of programming from Internet sources that keep an updated list (myp2p). However, it doesn't run independent of the web browser. So far Veetle seems to be more reliable than sopcast but has far less potential than TVU. Veetle is good for watching some special wrestling events.
Veetle Resources
- MyP2P.eu - Veetle and other software programming guide.
TVU
- adware / freeware advertising based
The service is based on a number of patent-pending technologies, covering high-quality video coding, efficient real-time P2P distribution, and effective digital rights management. TVU, Veetle, and SopCast seem to be some of the most popular, if not the three most popular streaming tv clients out there.
review: Unfortunately most of these streaming applications are light on English programming from the United States. This application has, thus far, offered the most in English content. CBS, and Fox are two networks that were easy to find. Although the Spike TV network was listed, it actually tuned to the useless Reelz cable network. Video quality was good and the Interface much more advanced than SopCast. A search tool is available. When tuning to a channel you are forced to watch an advertisement hosted by application owners. There is some adult content available, which very few of the other streaming applications offer. In the end, a good application that has too few quality American networks, and too little popular sports. This application rates higher than SopCast.
update: Some channels that normally broadcast foreign sports, like Cricket (which few Americans care about) will switch to show something interesting like Sunday night football or a professional wrestling event. Unlike Sopcast streams that will get terminated half way though an event for CRV*, TVU streams seem to be far more reliable. This software has a lot of potential and is currently the best thing out there (2009) for a streaming Internet television client that is its own independent application.
