Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Free, all-access television on the Internet certainly seems like an attractive offer but what's the Real Deal with Internet TV?
The average American spends just over 4 hours a day watching TV.
Websites like livetv4me.com promise free television 24/7. You don't pay any monthly fees like you would with cable or satellite television. All you have to do is download the site's software for a one-time fee of $29.95, which allegedly allows the viewer to stream 1,000 channels of programming anytime.
The Real Deal is buried in the fine print. Livetv4me.com, and several other sites like it, don't outline the specific channels you'll be able to access because most of them are international. You'll get 1,000 channels but you could end up watching a tennis match in Switzerland or a soccer game in Russia.
There are some sites that do offer programs produced by more popular networks like ESPN, Discovery, Fox, ABC, or NBC, but most of the time the shows or clips are specifically made for the web.
Most online television viewers won't get everything they want from television on a live-streaming site but sites like hulu or networks' own sites allow you to watch shows with certain time and episode restrictions.
For now, the web is mainly a good fall back for those who happened to miss their favorite show.
Most of the people NewsChannel 9 interviewed said they are not ready to give up on traditional television just yet.
What has your experience with Internet television been like? Share your thoughts in our comments section.
