In our digital age, in order to watch any program or film currently being broadcast on television, it is absolutely not necessary to connect to the satellites or IPTV services that many Internet providers provide. It is enough to install the necessary software on a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone, and then even without making any preliminary settings immediately start viewing.
The advantages of programs for watching TV over the Internet
Consideration of applications of this type should begin precisely with the advantages that the user receives after installing them. The most important thing is that for the most part, such applications are absolutely free (only an additional premium subscription may be paid), do not require settings or the installation of expensive equipment.
In addition, watching TV programs via the Internet on a TV can be done by simply connecting a computer or mobile device to the TV panel via a cable (for example, HDMI) or through a wireless connection with screen duplication. At the same time, the same laptops or smartphones, in addition to everything, can also act as remote controls.
The best programs for watching TV over the Internet
Today, applications designed for watching television can be found quite a lot. Some programs for watching TV via the Internet are oriented purely to domestic online resources, while others allow you to watch many world television channels of any content.
But our user is still more interested in the Russian-language channels, so let's look at some of the most popular programs in this direction. Among those that are designed for installation and use in Windows-systems, the following can be highlighted:
- ComboPlayer;
- Ace Stream;
- Crystal TV;
- TV Player Classic;
- RusTV Player;
- Eye TV and BooTV et al.
We will dwell on mobile applications separately.
Comboplayer
This program for viewing TV channels via the Internet is the most common player that connects to online resources and is primarily focused on access to Russian television.
True, only about twenty federal channels can be found in it, such as “First”, “Russia-1”, “STS”, “Match TV”, etc. But if you subscribe for a purely nominal fee, the number of received channels can be increased up to one hundred and thirty, and also improve broadcast quality to HD.
Ace stream
Programs for watching TV over the Internet of this type are unique in nature. The fact is, this is not only a player, but an expanded multimedia platform that allows you to watch TV not only through the main applet, but also when accessing specialized sites through a web browser (onelike.tv, ace-stream-tv, etc.) .
And, of course, the indisputable advantage of such platforms is the ability to access the so-called torrent television, the channels of which are not played by browsers or simple TV players.
Crystal tv
This application, although it is a relatively new and young development, has already managed to gain popularity among users. This is due to the simplicity of the settings, a bright memorable interface and very interesting functions.
Many will like to use the “picture-in-picture” option, automatically adjust the image quality and broadcast, depending on the speed of the Internet connection, and many channels for every taste on the subject. In addition, according to the developers themselves, the application can be installed not only on computers, but also quite simply used on Samsung Smart TV panels.
TV Player Classic
This applet is a classic lightweight player designed for access to more than a thousand channels, not only domestic but also foreign.
The only minus is that for full access to all the declared resources you will have to issue a premium subscription. But if you just need news or music channels, this software package can be used for free and without any restrictions.
RusTV Player
Here is another player that focuses more on Russian TV channels (about ninety), although foreign ones can also be found on the list.
A distinctive feature of this application is the ability to select the playback technology by the user (either Flash or even HTML5 can be used), plus built-in skins that can be changed as you wish.
Eye TV and BooTV
These two portable programs for watching TV over the Internet are very similar to each other. To run them, simply open the executable file, and after selecting a channel, playback will start automatically.
They originally incorporated the function of changing the resolution of the reproduced content (up to HD), if the maximum threshold is supported by a computer monitor or laptop screen. The Eye TV application has one drawback, which is that there is no program guide as such (there isn’t even the name of the program or movie that is currently being played). And you have to switch channels either in the group, which is formed according to individual signs (entertainment, films, news, sports), or when returning to the main menu. A bit inconvenient, but the quality overlaps these imperfections.
Mobile applications
Finally, let's see what a program for watching TV over the Internet for Android can be. Some of the above applications are also available as mobile versions (for example, Crystal TV or Eye TV).
However, judging by the popularity ratings of Android applets of this type, the following ten utilities can be attributed to the top ten:
- SPB TV;
- DIVAN.TV;
- "Fly TV";
- “Home TV HD”;
- Peers.TV;
- Kodi (full-featured movie theater for Android);
- Fork Player
- Plex and many others.
The principles of connecting and playing TV content from stationary applications are not particularly different. Only Kodi setup may require some knowledge , but if you want to cope with this, it will not be difficult.