- Streaming TV Shows on Your Computer's Screen
- Purchasing TV Shows to Watch on Your Computer
- Streaming TV Shows on Your Smartphone or Tablet
- Mobile Apps That Make Watching TV More Interactive
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Purchasing TV Shows to Watch on Your Computer
From online-based services such as the Amazon Video Store, Apple’s iTunes Store, and the Google Play Store, you can purchase individual TV series episodes or entire seasons of TV series, and then download that content to your computer. In the next section, the iTunes Store is used as an example to show how content is acquired. The process is similar among all of the services.
These video files are provided in a specific file format that’s compatible with that service’s own viewing and digital file management software. However, after you purchase a TV show in digital form, you own it.
The file can be downloaded and stored on your computer, stored in the cloud, and/or transferred to any of your other computers (or mobile devices) that are linked to the same account you used to purchase the content.
Purchase Content from iTunes
From your Mac or PC, follow these directions to find, purchase, download, and watch a TV show episode using the free iTunes software (www.itunes.com):
Launch the iTunes software on your Mac (shown) or PC.
Click the iTunes Store option.
Click the TV icon that’s displayed in the top-left corner of the screen.
If you know the name of the TV series you want to acquire episodes for, enter the series name into the Search field.
From the Television screen within the iTunes Store, click the See All option located to the right of the Latest TV Episodes heading to see the latest episodes of popular TV shows that have been added to the service.
Click the graphic icon for a specific TV series.
Alternatively, click the See All option associated with the New and Noteworthy heading, or click a show listing that’s found under the Top TV Episodes heading (not shown).
Make sure you’re viewing the show description screen for the season you’re interested in, click the SD or HD option icon (based on your resolution preference), and then click the Price icon that’s associated with the single episode you want to purchase and download.
From the series description screen, click the Price button for a single episode or click the Buy Season Pass button to subscribe to purchase an entire season of episodes.
Click the Buy button on the purchase confirmation screen. When prompted, enter the password that’s associated with your Apple ID account.
The purchased episode is downloaded and stored on your computer’s hard drive, and simultaneously (and automatically) stored online within your free iCloud account. It’s now available to watch on any computer or mobile device that’s linked to your Apple ID or that’s tied to your iCloud Family Sharing plan (not shown).
Click My TV Shows at the top of the screen to view all TV episodes (and complete seasons of shows) that you own.
Click an episode listing to begin viewing that episode. If the episode listing has an iCloud icon associated with it, this means the episode’s video file is stored within your online-based iCloud account, but not on the computer (or mobile device) you’re currently using. Click the iCloud icon to download the episode. As the episode is downloading, you can begin watching it by clicking its listing.
After an episode begins playing, playback controls are displayed at the bottom of the screen. These include a volume slider, a time slider, an AirPlay icon, a Rewind to Beginning icon, a Rewind icon, a Play/Pause icon, a Fast Forward icon, a Fast Forward to End icon, a Closed Captioning icon, and a Full Screen viewing mode icon. Click the X icon to exit the episode and return to the previous iTunes menu (not shown).
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>>>Go Further: Watch Shows From Your Cable or Satellite Service Provider’s Website
Most cable and satellite television service providers offer a website for their paid subscribers that allows you to stream (and in some cases download) programming from participating networks at no additional charge.
For example, if you subscribe to Comcast/Xfinity for your home’s cable television service, visit the My Xfinity website (http://my.xfinity.com) to watch TV shows (and movies) online. Other cable and satellite service providers offer a similar option.
When you’re on the website, sign into your account by clicking the Sign In option (and then enter your username and password). Next, click the TV option, and then click the Watch Online option. Listings for current and classic TV series that are available to watch online are displayed.
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Streaming TV show episodes from your cable or satellite TV service provider’s website is a free service for paid subscribers. This is different from Pay-Per-View or Paid On-Demand programming, which is also offered. In some cases, you can also now stream live broadcasts from various TV networks directly to your computer screen (from your cable/satellite TV service provider’s website). This is a feature that’s becoming more widely available.
To determine what online streaming services your cable or satellite television service provider offers, contact its customer service department, or visit the website that’s listed on your monthly bill.