3 Services to search the catalog of TV show and movie streaming providers
If you want to watch a movie or TV show at home, either on your computer, another device or your television, then you have quite a few options to do just that.
One method that has risen in popularity in recent time is to stream media. Provided that the Internet connection is fast enough to handle the stream, it is one of the most convenient methods to access TV shows or movies almost immediately.
There are downsides though that users may encounter. One downside is that there is not a single service that is offering access to all TV shows or movies that are available.
This means that you have to check various sites and services to find out if the show or movie you are interested in is available, and for how much.
There is Netflix, Amazon and Hulu Plus for example, TV station websites and sites like iTunes, all with a different catalog of media and different prices.
The sheer number of available options has fueled the rise of search engines for streaming media. You find three options listed below that you can use to find out where to watch a show or movie.
1. Where to watch
Supported sites: Amazon, iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, Flixster, Paramount Movies, Bravo Now, CNBC Full Episodes, E! Now, Esquire TV Now, Oxygen Now, Sprout Now, Syfy Now, ABC, ABC Family, Disney Movies Anywhere, Vudu, Xbox Video, Sundance Now, SnagFilms, Fandor, Wolfe on Demand, Target Ticket, Movies On Demand, Reelhouse, IndieFlix
This is a recent addition created by the MPAA that is only covering the US market. The service displays a selection of movies, television series and additional media such as behind the scenes footage on its start page.
You can use the search engine to find shows or movies by name, director or actor. Results are sorted into groups such as movies or TV shows.
A click on a show displays a short description, some of the main actors and information which supported services offer streaming access to the show.
Most services are listed with price information. The only exception to this are subscription-based services as no price is listed for these.
A click on a price redirects to the service's website where you can make a purchase or sign in to start the streaming.
The only other option provided by the service is to set TV alerts that notify you when new episodes become available.
2. Can I Stream.it?
Supported sites: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Crackle, YouTube, Epix, Xfinity Streampix, Snagfilms, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, Sony Entertainment Network, Ticket.
Can I Stream.it supports a variety of options including streaming, digital rental but also digital purchases and disc purchases or rentals.
You can browse popular movies or TV shows on the frontpage of the service or enter a search term to find shows or movies of interest.
If you search for TV shows, you get a list of all seasons and episodes of that show including names and short summaries. It seems that searches for entire seasons are not supported by Can I Stream.it as you can only click on the availability button next to each episode.
Pricing information are listed for some services but not for subscription-based services.
3. Go Watch It
Supported sites: Neflix, Redbox, Amazon, iTunes, Movies on Demand, Youtube, Google Play.
The service is limited to movies. It lists popular movies and curated movie lists on the front. You find a marvel movies list there for example and several other curated lists that may be of interest. Many of the movies listed on the frontpage are still in theaters or have not started at all.
Search suggestions are displayed when you use the search which is helpful.
Go Watch It displays the price for some of the available options but not for others. This means that you will have to click through to compare the price of all listed services.
Now You: Do you stream movies or TV? Which services are you using for that?
Way too much of a hassle. No one is going to bother with this when it’s much easier to just go to *insert random illegal streaming site name here* and clicking one button to watch any tv or movie instantly for free.
“And they wonder why people prefer piracy”
Until it collapses, the entertainment industry will always be more focused on collecting far more revenue than what they put out is worth or that is even warranted and fair than they are with us consumers getting their content.
iTunes has proven that when you offer people things well, music for example for a reasonable price, people will spend money to buy things.
Licensing restrictions keeps us consumers who aren’t filthy rich from getting good, new, and full content frequently at reasonable prices. This is one of the biggest reasons for people turning to torrent sites.
They all live in the past where it would only be a few times a year that something good and big, a blockbuster if you will, would be released and back then, the price was worth it. Now, there are far more choices for entertainment and their prices aren’t justified. They certainly aren’t competitive.
I have a Netflix subscription. Netflix movie selection sucks. Once you see the good movies, you’ll only get a new good one every 6 months if that. For TV shows, it’s okay, not too bad, but people can get the latest entire season of a TV show for free from a torrent site or they can wait a year for it to arrive on Netflix.
I guarantee that people would pay more money to get newer content sooner.
I would.
As for this article, this site is pretty good for Netflix and it allows you to add things directly to your queue (if you’re logged into Netflix).
http://instantwatcher.com
I think I got this one from you Martin.
http://zerodollarmovies.com/
And for TV.
http://live.camposat.tv/
http://www.viewtelly.com/
Happy TV every one.
Brian.
Heh … https://torrentfreak.com/torrent-site-hijacks-mpaas-movie-search-engine-141127/
“To fill this gap torrent site PopcornCab decided to release a userscript that adds torrent links to the MPAA’s website. The code, which works in all modern browsers through an extension, makes WhereToWatch even more usable according to the PopcornCab team.”
I’m not interested in this at all, but the userscript link is in the article at TF
This is the UK equivalent:
http://www.findable.tv/
Thanks!
You’d need an account with at least a half dozen sites for access to a nice variety of content. And they wonder why people prefer piracy.