TechBite Technology
Steve Bass's Weekly Newsletter
TechBite's columnist Steve Bass writes weekly commentary on the technology products he loves, the strategies for getting the most out of them, and the gotchas that can cause computing misery. Plus a couple of weekly laughs.
11 Sites to Watch and Download Free TV and Movies
In This Issue
MediaGate's Portable M2TV
Free TV and Movies
What About Pirated Movies?
Tech Tip: Unlock PDF Files
Tech Tool: John's Background Switcher
Time Wasters
Image of the Week
Stop Flipping
--------------------advertisement--------------------
Free PC Performance Scan
Since 2004, over 150 million scans have been run at PC Pitstop, making Optimize the world's most popular computer optimization software. The all new Optimize 3.0 is an incredibly powerful tool that will now do even more to boost the speed, stability, and overall security of your computer. There has never been a better time to run a FREE Optimize scan and rediscover your PC's true performance.
----------------------------------------
Click a link and keep TechBite free.
Last week I told you about Sling's MediaCatcher, the device that's ideal for viewing streaming videos on your TV, as well as MediaGate's MG-800HD, the other gizmo for watching downloaded movies on your TV. (See "Stream Movies from Your PC to Your TV.")
This week I've got a score of spots where you can watch legal movies and TVs shows, some streamed, others downloaded, and a few sites with illegally pirated movies. I'll also review MediaGate's inexpensive, portable media device.
Next week, besides the usual stuff, I'll spend a little time showing you how to capture streaming video. [top]
MediaGate's Portable M2TV
I've got a cheap, small gadget you can connect to your TV and play downloaded videos, show photos, and play music. The M2TV (about $100 discounted) can grab files in two ways: There are two USB 2.0 ports (for attaching external hard or Flash drives) and a memory card reader (SD, MMC, or Memory Stick). The M2TV plays video in high definition, handling over 15 video formats (including RMVB, MKV, VOB, and others), 10 music formats (including MP3, WMA, OGG, and RealAudio), and standard photo formats (.jpg, .bmp, .tiff, .gif, and .png). Read through the manual for more specs.
The no-nonsense media player is about as plug and play as it gets. I copied a stack of photos and a video on a 1GB Flash drive, brought the M2TV to my parents' house, plugged it into their ancient Philco black and white TV (just kidding, it's a standard Panasonic), and showed them images from our last vacation. [top]
MediaGate's Portable M2TV: Small, light, and powerful.
Free TV and Movies
Here's a stack of Internet TV and movie sites, the ones I think give you the most streaming band for your buck. Well, most are free, so few bucks are necessary. Some are strictly TV shows, others have movies as part of the mix; some let you download the content to your PC, while most just allow streaming. It'll take you two or three lifetimes to watch everything, and I know you're eager to try.
At the top of the heap is HULU, with a massive amount of content, including TV shows and full-length movies. It's a well-designed site, easily navigated, with a quality selection. For instance, it's got Super Size Me, a feature documentary; Dawn of the Dead, Pushing Tin (a great comedy from 1999) The Daily Show, The Office, and tons more.
Joost is loaded with channels I'm apt to watch. For instance, I spotted Dead Again (IMDB 7/10), a decent film I hadn't seen and didn't know about. On the Films page, I found one spot loaded with almost 1,000 documentaries and a bunch of Indie films. One gem I found was "Jazz on a Summers Day," a film we recently rented from Netflix. [top]
Eztakes has movies you can download or stream for free; it also sells films you can burn to your PC or DVD. I found the entire series of The Newsroom, a brilliantly funny Canadian TV series that we rented on Netflix last year. On Eztakes, it's a free download. I found over 60 films you can stream to your PC, including classics such as Alfred Hitchcock's 39 Steps and Peter Lorre in M. Of course you'll need to wade through the likes of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and the Eunuch of the Western Palace. (Nope, I won't supply links to these. I figure you'll enjoy hunting them down yourself.)
AmericaFree.tv is a hoot for off-the-wall movies, such as Roger Corman's 1955 classic, The Fast and the Furious, or the 1936 Marihuana. Unfortunately, the films are all Flash streams, so I can't provide specific links; the other irritation is there are no controls to pause the movies. [top]
wwITV is perfect if you're interested in watching Channel 9's weather report from Dunedin in New Zealand, Express News, an English-language news station from Pakistan, or movies from TV stations across the globe.
Bravo makes many of its shows available. The catch is you have to spend time digging around the site to find them. Best bet: Look for "full episode" links and you'll end up at a page with "browse all full-length episodes."
IMDB, the famous Internet Movie Database has a decent number of TV shows, some that are brand new and terrific, while others you've never heard of (nor would you want to).
There are dozens of other sites you can try. Of the bunch, FreeTube does the best job by acting as a portal to seemingly 6 million listings (give or take a million). It's worth a visit to FreeTube, just for the experience of seeing how incredibly much content's available. If you have kids, be aware there's a link at the bottom of their list for adult videos. Other sites to try: Tvover.net has scads of TV stations for you to choose from as does FreeeTV and BeelineTV. FreeeTV claims to have more than 1,650, for example. [top]
--------------------advertisement--------------------
Can't remember passwords?
Don't worry, RoboForm Pro will help you out! RoboForm Pro is the easiest and most secure way to manage your passwords. Here's what RoboForm Pro does:
Logs you into websites automatically
Reduces your many passwords to just one
Fills forms with just one click
Prevents phishing, keylogging, and much more
Is amazingly fast and easy to use
TechBite Users: Buy Now and Save 20%
----------------------------------------
Click a link and keep TechBite free.
What About Pirated Movies?
I've heard of sites where you can safely, albeit inconveniently, download practically any movie that's out in theaters. In fact, some of the independent films that play at film festivals, but haven't even been released, are available on these sites. TorrentFreak recently listed the Top 10 Most Pirated Movies on BitTorrent.
I'm reluctant to talk about these sites for a couple of reasons. I don't think it's ethical on my part to supply you with info on doing something illegal. I also didn't want to get sued by any of the anti-piracy organizations, such as the MPAA.
I did some digging and in a Google nanosecond, I found dozens of Web sites offering copyrighted material. And my sense is anyone with a modicum of Internet experience can find them with simple Google searches -- RapidShare movies, pirated movies, or other combinations that come to mind.
Be careful, though. Too many of these sites are malware and spyware drive-by traps. I have enough protection -- SpywareBlaster, AdMuncher, and Kaspersky Internet Security -- so I didn't get nailed. Some spots are simply scams, promising access to any movies you want, all for a low membership fee. I didn't try any, but my guess is they lead to sites offering BitTorrent downloads.
And yes, there are sites that you can pick up movies for the price of a download, with little risk or danger to your PC. You'll need to learn lots about downloading from a dozen services, such as RapidShare and MegaDownloads, figure out how to deal with split files, and suffer from not-always-terrific quality movies. Unfortunately, I can't give you specific sites, but if you really want to find them, with some due diligence, you will. [top]
Tech Tip: Unlock PDF Files
You open an Adobe PDF file, start reading, and want to scarf up a couple of images, a little bit of text, or maybe you just want to print the document. Try it, pal, and you won't get very far. That's because the PDF's creator has password-protected the file and restricts what you can do with the doc.
The lockup isn't terribly tight, because in less than -- wait, it's unlocked. Yep, that's how fast it takes PDF Unlocker to pry open the file and create a duplicate, unlocked version. Just drag and drop the PDF onto the Unlocker's desktop icon and you're good to go. [top]
This PDF is locked tight. Or is it...?
Tech Tool: John's Background Switcher
My e-mail buddy Leo Feret said, "This is the coolest wallpaper changer I've seen." On the John's Background Switcher site, the author says "I can't stand plain, boring backgrounds." Funny thing is, I like plain, boring backgrounds. It makes it easier to see my 300 desktop icons. (I'm kidding about the icons.) Yet I agree, if you like that sort of thing, it's a neat little freebie that pulls images from any of your photo sites -- Flickr, Picasa, Facebook -- or even you're my Photos folder. If you like change, you'll love this tool. [top]
Hate seeing the same wallpaper every day?
You'll love John's Background Switcher.
Time Wasters
Wondering to do with your old PCs? Use 'em to play dominos! [Thanks, Carl.]
You know how I like magic, right? Well here's a brilliant bit with just the correct amount of misdirection: Colour Changing Card Trick. And if you were dazzled by that, here's another one that'll make you think: Psychological Card Trick.
You know the fastest way to peel a hard-boiled egg? Nope, you don't use vinegar when cooking, nor do you run the egg under cool water while peeling. Here are two sets of video instructions to teach you the skills. The more sedate Quick-Peel An Egg or the more colorful Pop!
Blueprint is fairly easy. Arrange the objects so when the ball drops, it hits the target. Give it a few levels and you'll be scratching your head -- and yowling for mercy.
Level one and two are a snap. But give it time...
If you're in a frisky frame of mind, watch this video of a pretty exciting and provocative pole dance.
The pool chairs were getting wet and someone was swimming in the pool while the home owners were away. The intruder is exposed in this video.
Image of the Week: There's no reason why dogs shouldn't earn their keep, right? So put them to work! (No dogs were harmed in the making of this JPEG, though one felt somewhat embarrassed.) [top]
Stop Flipping
Put down your remote control for a minute, set down your beer, and do me a favor. Pass along this newsletter to someone who's been dying to try Internet TV. You'll make them happy (maybe) and make my subscription numbers go up (definitely). The link is here: http://www.techbite.com. By the way, if you're enjoying this newsletter and getting something out of it, become a TechBite member by sending us some financial support using PayPal. I promise, good things will eventually come your way... [top]
___________
Steve Bass is the publisher and self-appointed Chief Content Officer at TechBite; he continues to experience the cool feeling of having his own newsletter. Send him your feedback at TechBite. To sign up for TechBite's free Steve Bass Technology newsletter, head for our signup page.
Steve's also the author of "PC Annoyances, 2nd Edition: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer," available on Amazon. It covers XP, but no Vista. If you haven't purchased your copy today, don't wait, supplies are limited...
Newsletter Subscription Resources
Sign up for TechBite's free Steve Bass Technology newsletter by heading to our, well, signup page. Previous newsletters are available online.
Want a TechBite RSS feed? Here's the link to stick into your RSS reader.
To change your e-mail delivery address, or to unsubscribe, click the link at the very bottom of this newsletter.
Worried that your ISP may someday arbitrarily black list this newsletter? Us, too... So take a proactive approach: Find your ISP in our handy How To Whitelist TechBite in your Spam Filter ditty, and white list yourself. [top]
TechBite is a joint effort of Steve Bass (in hot-as-hell Pasadena) and
Mike Kronenberg (in up-in-the-sky Denver).
Copyright 2009 by TechBite, LLC.
