# Pay Once, Unlimited Internet TV - Any Good?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-once-unlimited-internet-tv-any-good/581971>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 15, 2011, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-once-unlimited-internet-tv-any-good/581971 "2011-05-15T08:34:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-once-unlimited-internet-tv-any-good/581971/1 "2011-05-15T08:34:57Z")

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I have seen a few sites on the Internet offering a one-time payment of about $30 to $40 and supposedly you then get access to hundreds or thousands of Internet TV channels around the world and then never have to pay them again.  
The claim is to then ditch your local cable, yada yada yada…

Anyone here ever tried these kinds of hook-ups, and how were the results?

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-once-unlimited-internet-tv-any-good/581971/2 "2011-05-15T12:47:51Z")

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Most likely it’s garbage. You may in fact get access to hundreds of channels, but so what? They could be in foreign languages you don’t speak, they could be religious channels of which you are not of that denomination.

Internet TV streams so it may be slow and choppy. AT&T just started adding caps to ISP usage so you have to be careful now you don’t download too much. Other ISPs also cap usage.

Time and time again, in the USA, companies attempting to stream local OTA TV stations on the Internet have been shut down by court order.

So while you may actually get what they are promising the results most likely won’t be to your liking

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**Author:** ![cain7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@cain7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cain7)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-once-unlimited-internet-tv-any-good/581971/3 "2011-05-15T12:56:02Z")

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…is true.

Moreover, with approaching broadband caps you might end up finding the cost ultimately restrictive. Here’s a discussion as to what I mean:

> **[AT&T To Cap Monthly Broadband Usage: Big Implications for Streaming Video...](http://forums.audioreview.com/news-rumors/t-cap-monthly-broadband-usage-big-implications-streaming-video-users-36291.html)**
>
> Audio & Video Forums

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**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-once-unlimited-internet-tv-any-good/581971/4 "2011-05-15T18:10:54Z")

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Thanks.  
I sort of figured if this is the big deal they are saying it is, well - everyone here on the board would probably have it.  
I know there are lots of really free (no charges at all) sites with listings of TV stations around the world that have live streaming. Some are good, some not so great, others you have to be awake at 2:00 AM to see their shows, due to time difference.

Thanks again for verifying what I sort of thought was true.

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**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pay-once-unlimited-internet-tv-any-good/581971/5 "2011-05-15T18:27:49Z")

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I’m guessing the “hook-up” is just a list of free streaming sites.