1. How does it all work?
webtv-live.com is a database with links to broadcasting stations with a live stream or to websites with a great amount of free professional clips and podcasts. You do not need to register nowhere and no downloads and no software is needed. In this way you can enjoy tv on your computer for free.
Links to websites with personally made clips, e.g. Youtube, we do not list in our database. The main thought was to launch platform where you can find fast and simple live streams as well as news, sports, music and much more from all over the world.
We try to improve this database continually and keep it updated. You can participate in this project and send us links to live streams and great vod sites we do not offer yet. To do so click the submit link.
All links to extern websites will be open in a new tab or a new window. This follows the right on ones intellectual property. No one is allowed to paste a stream of a third party on ones own website. This is law in the majority of all countries.
All hyperlinks will be open in a new tab. Therefor please deactivate your pop-up blocker. WE do not use any pop-up advertising.
The links are split to countries and categories. If you just want to watch the largest stations you can click on the link popular.
2. How to find a web tv station?
At search you can browse our database for broadcast stations, web tv and websites offering vod (video on demand).
You can search for names and parts of a name. For instance: if you enter AB you will find the broadcast station ABC as well as Baby Channel TV and many more. If you would like to search within a category, click on the link tv by category.
3. I cannot play live broadcasting/vod, why?
There may be different reasons:
First you need the right player to play a stream or a VoD. There is no worldwide standard so media can be streamed in different formats, the most common are MP3, RealAusio, DivX, Xvid, Quicktime, swf and WMA. To be able to play all formats you need mostly windows media player and real player, but also Quicktime and flashplayer. All these players are freeware and free for download on the web. Click here to see the possible downloads.
Sometimes you will need add-ons or plugins for your player to see a stream, often Firefox users will need an appropriate plugin in order to view the embedded media within a web page. These plugins can be easily and downloaded for free, when needed, e.g here.
Do you have a fast internet connection? The speed and quality depends by the bandwidth you have. To assure an uninterrupted stream you have to use a bandwidth of minimum 300 kbit/s.
Another reason is your player setting are wrong. Often Windows Media Player needs different settings, therefor go to Tools, then Options on the Network tab, and set different streaming proxy settings. Click here to see the full explanation. Seldom you simply need to press the play button of your player again or reload the site to start the stream. But more often is you need an add-on for your software or other settings.
4. Link opens a blank new window, no stream is playing.
Do you use Firefox? Then you need an add-on, especially for media player by windows media player.
Sometimes you will need an alternative to your Real Player, please google this. We are always sorry you
try to watch a stream and all you find is a blank window or a blank player. In the majority of cases your
software (player) needs an add-on or other settigs, click here to see how you can set your Windows Media Player for streaming media. Seldom, but possible is the broadcasting station stoped the stream, this
no player is able to help ;)
5. It takes too long to start a stream
To balance different data speeds on the net and to help prevent time lags in the stream all players use a buffer.
This is why a stream sparts with a delay of typically 6 to 30 seconds. If you are waiting more then 30 seconds you maybe should read point 3.
6. What is the difference between live and VOD?
The difference between live and VoD is the way of broadcast and up to date. To say it simple, live streams is
like your TV, they has a permanent broadcast, wether you watch or not. VoD stands for “Video on demand” and
means you watch a recorded program or a podcast. Often you can see TV shows as VoD. They are recorded and you can watch
them from the beginning and pause whenever you want, without missing anything.
7. What do I need to play streams?
The right player, a fast internet connection of minimum 300 kbit/s and maybe also add-ons for your players. You also have
to disable your pop-up blocker.
8. What means live stream?
Live stream or streaming media are compressed video and audio broadcast via the internet. Streams do not send all data like
downloads but in batches in a store-and-forward process. Users do not get linear data, in this process data come to a temporery
buffer store which causes a delay at the beginning you watch a stream. A software, usually the pleayer, decompresses the data.
9. How to report a broken link/end of service?
We would apreciate your reportings from broken links to keep our service accurate and up to date. From time to time channels
quit bradcasting more often the stream website simply change the link.
Please use the submit funktion to report a broken link and tell us the name of the channel and note „broken link“ or something like that.
We always try to keep our service up to date but sometimes we miss broken links due to the quantity.
Thanks in advance.
10. How to bookmark my favorite site?
On all sites you can use the bookmark function on the bottom of the site to bookmark a specific webtite and to find it easily
later on. The most common way is to bookmark a website within your browser's Favorites. The best: you can also bookmark your searches.
If you have accounts at Google, Facebook, Del.icio.us, MySpace or other community websites you can use the bookmark function
with only one click to save a site within your account.
11. How to submit my favorite web tv website?
All you have to do ist using the hyperlink submit and send us an anonymous email with information about name of the channel/website,
country, category and website. We try to adopt it to our database as soon as possible, as long as your suggestion do not violate against
law or third person rights and do not publish racist or discriminatory content.
Please go sure by using the search function that your suggestion is not recorded in our database yet.
Please understand that we cannot guarentee to adopt your suggestion to our database.
12. My media window is too small, can I enlarge it?
Yes, but not all players do so. Just try it: double click the media window, usually the media window now has the size of the screen.
To reverse this size double click the window again or press the button ESC on your keyboard.
Sometimes you are able to do the same by clicking the right mourse button and resize the media window on 100%.
