Although cable and satellite TV today is rather ubiquitous, there are still many people who do not have either the time or the money for such a luxury. Likewise for people who are often traveling, the tethered subscription does not make much sense.
Luckily, there is now a service to cater to those people too, and it is now on Windows 8.1: Win TV.
WinTV is the Windows version of the popular DroidTV app and it "allows you to legally record Primetime TV shows with the flexibility and unlimited storage of the cloud, then plays it back in beautiful HD quality, without the need for WiFi or a data connection."
The shows are later downloaded automatically in the background to the user's computer in MP4 format. Episodes remain in the cloud for later access.
Of course, the service is a subscription-based system, coming in at various price points with an open 14-day trial. Likewise, users can continue to use the app for free, but with a limited number of shows available. Here are the rates:
- $6.99 for 1 month
- $12.99 for 3 months
- $39.99 for 1 year
Obviously, that is much cheaper than paying for cable. The downside, of course, is that you evidently cannot watch live TV, as this is a DVR-type solution.
The company behind WinTV, Zero Mass Energy (ZME), does plan to release a Windows Phone and Windows 7 app early next year to complete the Microsoft ecosystem for customers. For now, WinTV is available on Windows 8, 8.1 and RT operating systems.
