By Nick Peers
Let's be honest: watching TV on your computer can be a painful experience. If you have a TV tuner you still need access to an aerial point, and if you opt to watch over the Internet you can find yourself having to move between multiple websites when looking for something to watch.
The solution is obvious: watch internet television through Windows Media Center -- after all, it's perfect for live TV, so why not catch-up TV too? Some services -- like Sky Player in the UK -- are even available through WMC, but what if yours isn't covered?
Fret not: instead, take a look at TunerFree MCE. This free add-on allows you to access, catch up and stream content through the more friendly Windows Media Center interface -- perfect if you've hooked up your computer to your TV for the evening and don't want to be faffing about with web browsers and the like.
TunerFree MCE is British in origin, which means UK users get to choose between the four main providers (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five) from one easy to access interface. US users get to browse hulu.com for their content, while Australian, Irish and New Zealand residents can also get in on the act by installing the relevant plugin to add support for ABC, RTE and TVNZ, respectively.
It's all so simple to use, but there is one downside: you have to be resident in the TV channel's country in order to gain access to the content. You could try hiding your true origins using a VPN -- the TunerFree MCE site has a guide -- but many broadcasters are wising up to this, so don't expect success even if you're able to fake your actual location.
The latest version (4.4.1) works with touchscreens for even faster navigation. It also allows you -- assuming you're connected to your aerial -- to set series record, so you don't find yourself relying on series catchup to stay up to date with your favourite programmes going forward. You can now also install plug-ins through TunerFree MCE itself: just Preferences > Plug-ins, tick the plug-ins you want, and click Save followed by Update Now -- job done.
The only downside is that it's no longer compatible with Windows Vista, but don't fret: the older, and still perfectly functional, version 3.8.2 is still available for download, ensuring Vista users aren't shut out in the cold.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
