Phone, Radio and TV Through The Internet
The Internet is evolving. Did you have any doubt it would? We started out with dial-up access and simple emails and websites. Most people now have "high speed" or "broadband" Internet and maybe a wireless network at home so now we have speeds high enough to allow us to make phone calls, listen to the radio and watch TV all through our Internet connection. High speed Internet means that much more data can be sent to and from our computers and devices much faster than in the old dial-up days. This increased speed allows for audio and video signals to be sent through the Internet without hiccups in the signal so the audio or video plays smoothly. The Internet now allows for more competition in how we make phone calls, listen to the radio or watch TV. Here are some examples: PhoneTelephone and cable companies now offer package deals for phone, TV and Internet service. You may not know it but often times the phone part of these packages is called VOIP ( voice over Internet Protocol) meaning that your phone calls actually go out over the Internet not through POTS ( plain old telephone service). Your voice is converted into data packets which are sent through the Internet just like any other kind of data and reconverted back into voice signal at the other end.  | | Ooma Telo System |
Traditional telephone and cable companies (and their monthly fees) are not the only providers offering Internet phone calling. A company called Ooma.com offers free unlimited US calls and very low international rates (after buying the Ooma Telo phone system for $250 or less on sale). Click here to read the frequently asked questions about Ooma. For $40 you can transfer your existing phone number to Ooma (or you can sign up for a brand new phone number). As a comparision, another VOIP service is www.vonage.com, but they have a monthly fee.
Radio
Are you bored with the radio stations in your town? Do you have a favorite radio station in another town or country? Well you are no longer limited to just the radio stations broadcasting in your area. Internet radios receive their signals through the Internet instead of through the airwaves so it is possible to listen to radio stations broadcasting all around the globe.
 | | CC CWF WiFi Internet Radio |
This C. Crane WiFi Internet Radio connects to your highspeed Internet to broadcast radio stations from around the world. To set it up you visit a website, select the radio stations you would like to listen to and then viola, the radio stations play through the radio. If you have a wireless network you can place it anywhere in your home that you receive the wireless signal. Websites for listening to radio stations through the Internet:You don't have to buy a device to listen to radio stations from the Internet. You can listen through your computer, or maybe even your smartphone, at websites like these.
TV
Only recently has highspeed Internet service in the US become fast enough for TV and movie viewing. Video transmission requires a lot of data to reach our devices very quickly. If our highspeed Internet was not fast enough then the TV picture would not play smoothly. If you are a light TV watcher you might just be able to drop your cable or satellite TV service (keeping of course Internet service) in exchange for over-the-air HDTV and Internet TV. But keep in mind that cable and satellite services do offer a lot of different channels so you might not find every TV show or sports event broadcast over the Internet.
Newer TVs are starting to come with Internet TV built-in, but if you are not in the market for a new TV here are some devices that you can hook up to your older TV.
Devices for watching TV from the Internet on your living room TV:
All three devices connect to your highspeed Internet either wired or wirelessly. (Bonus: They all play the Netflix Instant Queue if you have a Netflix account.) - Roku is an inexpensive device that is very easy to setup and use but it only plays content from the Internet, not from your computer. ($100 or less)
- Apple TV Rent TV shows, commercial free in HD. And stream photos and music from your computer to your widescreen TV. ($99 requires TV with HDMI connection)
- Boxee brings all your favorite TV shows and movies from the Internet or your computer onto your TV. ($200)
- Logitech Revue with Google TV integrates with your HDTV and cable or satellite system to provide seamless access to the Web, your TV programming and compatible DVRs. ($300)
.jpg) | | Internet TV Devices |
Websites for watching TV either on your computer or TV device above:
Below are some of the websites you can visit to watch TV shows and movies. You can simply visit these websites on your computer or by using the devices above to watch on your living room TV.
www.hulu.com
www.fancast.com
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