LiveTV4Me Review – Is it Legit or a Scam?
December 14th, 2009 | Published in Free Satellite TV On PC Product Reviews | 20 Comments
LiveTV4Me is a software download that’s supposed to allow you to watch over 1,000 channels on your computer. They claim that with their video player you’ll be able to, “Watch live sports, movies, news, music videos and thousands of other programs from the US and around the world.”
You get all this for just one low time fee of $39.95, since this does sound too good to be true most people want to know if this thing actually works, or if it’s just another internet scam.
Does LiveTV4Me Work?
The truth is that all of these TV on PC programs promising 1,000’s of channels deliver a product that is a far cry from what they advertise. Yes, you will get a video player download and access to many channels but this will not be the experience you’re thinking of when you first sign up.
The channels that you get access to consist primarily of foreign channels, homemade video content, free broadcast television i.e. NPR/Public Access, and a handful of American news channels.
Sure, if you’re a die-hard soccer fan you might not mind watching blurry South American soccer matches broadcast in native languages, but to most people who read the ad claiming live sports channels this is not what they have in mind.
The truth is that there is no legal way to get a quality live broadcast of major sports event like the NBA/NHL/NFL/MLB without their expressed permission. In fact this disclaimer is announced prior to the start of every event and is strictly enforced.
This is why TV to PC programs like LiveTV4Me never release their actual channel lists in advance; they’d rather let you develop your own fantasies of watching your favorite shows and events before you realize that by live sports they meant foreign minor league events.
So is LiveTV4Me a Scam?
It may not be an outright scam but there are some very serious red flags and areas of concern. For starters this is a nonreturnable product; they claim that since it is a download that once you agree to receive it you cannot ask for a refund.
This is a very sneaky way to prevent refunds for legitimate reasons, like poor selection and video quality. Also found in their terms and conditions is this paragraph,
All streams are provided by users. LiveTV4me does not approve or disapprove of user provided content. Users may not provide content that infringes on any copyrights. LiveTV4me does not make any claims of providing specific channels. Users should not purchase this software if their intent is to gain access to specific channels. Users agree to purchase the software on an as-is basis.
Basically saying that the content is user generated and there is no stable channels just whatever is available at the time.
All-in-all I wouldn’t recommend canceling your cable company just yet as I don’t think this company is the entertainment solution that it makes itself out to be.
If you're interested in exploring different ways to watch TV on your PC then you should check out our top recommended TV to PC Program ISoftwareTV and also check out our extensive list of Free TV on PC sites.
December 16th, 2009 at 3:48 pm (#)
Thank you very much for reminding me that there’s no such thing as too good to be true or if there is, it won’t be this cheap. I’m one click away for signing in, they even cut the price to $19.99 I was thinking wow they really want me to sign up so I research the reviews on their product and i believe your logic. Thanks again and have a Happy Holidays . . .
December 28th, 2009 at 1:05 pm (#)
Thanks for the review…and thanks, too, to peteman’s reply … I was just about to take the bait of $19.95 also…guess I’ll keep my $19.95.
December 30th, 2009 at 7:36 am (#)
I rarely accept that there is such a good deal as “free TV”, so thank you for your review. I almost took the bait on this one. Jeff H., NC, USA
December 30th, 2009 at 5:23 pm (#)
While I haven’t purchased LiveTV4Me. I would suggest anyone interested in “free TV” take a look at some alternatives.
Free-To-Air satellite uses the same technology as DirectTV or DishNetwork; an 18″ dish and a receiver. It requires some upfront out-of-pocket expense for the equipment and it’s no substitute for pay TV but you can be sure its legal. In the USA you can receive around 200 channels (only about 60 are in English). You’ll either need multiple dishes or a motorized dish to pickup all the channels(they are spread across multiple satellites).
For internet-based TV you have a few options:
Hulu, Fancast, TV.com, Crackle, and Youtube all have either TV shows or movies available on demand for free.
For a service similar to LiveTV4Me that’s actually free check out TVUNetworks. You can watch through their website or download their stand-alone player. The player is really free to download and use. They offer DVR record/playback features for a small monthly fee. They also offer subscription and pay-per-view channels in which the fee’s are determined by the broadcaster. I’ve only tried the free service so I can’t really comment on the quality of the DVR or the subscription content.
January 2nd, 2010 at 3:12 pm (#)
I paid for the service and i am not getting it
January 9th, 2010 at 12:03 pm (#)
I thank you for letting me know what I almost did wrong and that was buy Live4TV. I was really looking to if the streaming was good and now I know that this is not for me.
January 29th, 2010 at 1:44 pm (#)
DO NOT DO IT THANKS FOR THE FEED BACK FROM A SCALE FROM 1 TO 10 1 ALL BAD NO RE.
January 31st, 2010 at 8:17 pm (#)
Like everyone above, it sounded like a great offer. But I thought I would check out to see how the quality would be. So thanks your review saved me a tank of gas!!!
February 10th, 2010 at 10:24 pm (#)
Ditto. Thought that LiveTV4Me was too good to be true and this helpful webpage confirmed it. This has saved my $40 and the feeling of being cheated.
February 11th, 2010 at 7:16 pm (#)
Yea we got sucked into it and cannot use it at all. We live in an area where cable is not offered and dish is expensive so we thought hey this is great. Yea great for them they just got my money and I got nothing.
I called and emailed to cancel and they tell me they offer no refunds at all. so basically we are out the monies.
So to anyone that thinks this is great take my advise STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER. THEY WILL ONLY TAKE YOUR MONIES AND RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 18th, 2010 at 1:36 pm (#)
I was a sucker and bought into it only to find that it is worthless. Not only did they get my money but they charge it twice. I tried to contact them by sending an email asking to get at least one of the charges returned buy to no avail. I also found that they really don’t want to talk to you.
Dwight
February 19th, 2010 at 12:26 am (#)
I was almost ready to take that offer pf 19.99. But my gut said research this first. I am thankful I did.
February 19th, 2010 at 12:29 pm (#)
Saw this ad too and thanks for your reviewers remarks here and the warnings…! Do not need to throw away 20 or 40 bucks to some slick money grubbing marketing campaigns.
I do use Hulu.com and I love it! Free, Reliable, and they have many many regular tv shows. Some offered dame day, sometimes they’re delayed one day or 1 week. but when you look it up, a message appears as to when movie will be up for viewing. They also offer a “que”, where you check off a box and you are sent a message when your favorite show pops up, so you can watch it at your leisure.
Thanks and good luck to the rest.
February 19th, 2010 at 5:53 pm (#)
I did pay the full amount plus one extra fee for my other laptop. This site doesn’t work. Do not purchase it at all. We don’t need these on site companies to take our money. Make sure you let everyone know this is a gimmick.
If we get everyone to write about it maybe they can stop ripping people off.
Thank you and good luck
February 21st, 2010 at 7:01 am (#)
I DID NOT GET IT THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP PEOPLE RRM/WASHINGTON DC THEY NEED TO GO TO JAIL WITH THAT RIP OFF
February 23rd, 2010 at 5:27 am (#)
I DID BUY INTO THIS SCAM ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO, AND JUST NOW DECIDED TO DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM, TO MY SURPRISE, SEVERAL OF U OUT THERE DID AS I DID, AND SOME WERE SMARTER THAN THE AVERAGE BEAR AND DID NOT ORDER IT. i guess we live and learn.LIKE ONE PERSON SAID “IF IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS JUST THAT, TO GOOD TO BE TRUE” I WILL CHECK MY CHARGE ACCOUNT FOR A POSSIBLE DOUBLE CHARGE AS IT HAS HAPPENED TO SOME OF U.
February 24th, 2010 at 8:49 pm (#)
FOR THE CONTACT,THEY DON’T HAVE ANY PHONE NUMBER.THAT IS NON-SENSE .I GOT SUSPICIOUS AND WARY , CAN WE COMPLAIN ABOUT IT AND TO YOU???
February 25th, 2010 at 3:05 pm (#)
It’s not working properly. Many channels don’t open. I want my money back, but there’s no contact at all.
March 3rd, 2010 at 12:44 pm (#)
i bought it and actually it’s pretty good has decent quality most of the time. I’ve recommended it to some friends…. they seem to like it too. so far…..:)
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:26 pm (#)
Well, 1st of all shame on them for selling “NOTHING”. And 2nd, shame on me for buying “NOTHING”. They definitely have lots of (USELESS) channels.What a waste of money, especially since i lost my job and am collecting minimum U.I.benefits. All i wanted to do was receive local programs and some childrens shows for the grandchildren. They just stole my job hunting gas money.