SideReel: Free Video Streaming at its Best

SideReel

"Cutting the Cords of Cable Television"

      

      I must confess that my addiction to television is borderline obsessive. Most nights I have at least two shows I want to watch but studying, class, and social commitments tend to make catching these shows at their original airing time a difficult task. In January of 2010 I traveled to Dublin for a semester abroad. Now, if you’ve ever been to Dublin you will surely know their selection of American television programs is limited to say the least. So what’s a reality show junkie supposed to do under these unbearable circumstances?  Why visit www.Sidereel.com of course!  SideReel is a video streaming website that has every season and every episode of practically every television show ever created (I kid you not I recently watched the first season of a childhood favorite, “the Wonder Years”). Upon my return to the United States I continued to use SideReel not only because it was convenient when I missed a favorite program or so I could continue watching some of the new English shows I had grown to love, but because it  also cuts out all of the dreadful commercials and advertisements (unlike sites like NBC.COM or Hulu.com).

So how exactly does SideReel work?

       As I have become notorious amongst my friends for my avid online streaming, many of them have asked me how they too can watch their favorite HBO show without paying a monthly fee. Well, first off, most programs can be viewed within an hour after the desired episode finishes broadcasting on cable/direct television. Simply type in the name of the show you are looking for in the search engine and a page outlining and describing each seasons and episode will appear. Select the link of the episode that catches your fancy and you will then be taken to another page full of links to various video streaming players. This is where things sometimes get a little tricky—because there are so many different video players (with some streaming faster and with superior quality than others) you may have to sift through a few duds to find the best option for your viewing pleasure. I suggest using links to one of the following: Megavideo.com, VideoBB.com, Zshare.com, or Vidxden.com. After selecting one of the aforementioned options you will be directed to yet another page. Simply click the link that appears in the middle of the screen and you will have finally arrived at your final destination—commercial –free television!

But Jordan, is this legal?

(Screenshot of Megavideo)

       SideReel accepts posts made under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.  As SideReel itself does not host any of the video which it links to consumers, it is indeed considered legal. That being said, this is not always the case with the sites which it links you to. Let’s take for example, one of the most popular video streaming sites, Megavideo. The company relies solely on up-loadable content which may or may not be legal content. Megavideo is indeed a legitimately legal hosting site primarily because it operates from a country where Piracy Laws are permissive (e.g. China, and Hong Kong being the city Megavideo is based out of). However, it is important that users know the difference between downloading and streaming. In order for American viewers to break copyright laws, he/she must have saved and reproduced a copy of the material. When streaming one typically does not have the "save" function and is therefore this practice is not technically illegal. Thus, although streaming may be illegal for the vendor, it is not for the average viewer.

What should you know before you stream?

1.  When I said watching streaming video is legal I am referring to television—this  does NOT apply to watching films that are currently in theaters on sites such as www.letmewatchthis.com
2. Make sure your computer has firewall software. Just like music torrents, video hosting websites (though none of the sites I have recommended) are sometimes encrypted with spam, spyware, and viruses.  
3. Some sites, including Megavideo and VideoBB, have a time “watching limit”. Once you have reached 72 minutes of online television viewing the site will freeze your show and asks if you want to purchase an account to bypass the 54 minute wait until you can begin streaming with their services again. However, there is a way to get around this limit without spending your hard earned money to stream: 

•  Open the video that you want to watch on Megavideo. 
• Play the button and when it starts playing, click the pause button to let the video buffer. 
•  Wait until the video has finished loading to 100%.
• Click on Work Offline and watch the video.

And that about sums up all you need to know when it comes to watching some of your favorite shows on SideReel, enjoy!

NOTE: SideReel also offers a daily "Show Calendar", tracks "TV Trends", suggests show with "Editors Picks" and even has its own Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channel.

Sidereel: http://www.sidereel.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SideReel

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/sidereel

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/sidereel