<p>My daughter follows several TV series and is fretting about missing them while in Spain during the spring semester. It is her understanding that you can not download then shows onto a computer in Spain like you can here in the States. </p>
<p>Does anyone know how to get the current shows online while out of the country or is it really not possible? </p>
<p>I have been told that I will need to Tivo all her shows and she will watch them when she returns, but I have a feeling that she will not have the time on her return to catch up!</p>
<p>It’s basically a box you would set up at home that would allow your daughter to control your home TV/Tivo over the Internet and watch on her computer in Spain.</p>
<p>There’s one set up at my house and I watch my home TV from my school across the country. I think you need a pretty fast internet connection on both ends for the quality to be good, but I love it.</p>
<p>You can get one for around $100, but it’s a one time investment because there’s no subscription fee.</p>
<p>I’d really, really encourage her not to watch American TV while she’s in Spain. She should be emersing herself in Spanish culture. One of the great pleasures of overseas living is that you can watch foreign language TV to your heart’s content without feeling guilty because it’s such a great learning experience. We saw both dubbed American shows and real German shows when we lived in Germany. Bet you didn’t know that Don Johnson (in Miami Vice) sounds much more manly in German than he does in English!</p>
<p>She would be happy with the shows dubbed in Spanish, but it is our understand that only old American shows are shown. As she is an avid TV watcher, I am sure she will watch whatever is on, dubbed or not!! My daughter is fluent in Spanish so I know she will enjoy watching Spanish shows; she loved watching the Harry Potter movies in Spanish.</p>
<p>My first thought was, “who watches TV when they are going to college?” I sure didn’t, although I am generally a tube-addict. Being overseas will probably become a lot more interesting than watching American television.</p>
<p>(Just don’t tell me it’s Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t think there has been a bigger bunch of self-absorbed whiny losers on television since Thirtysomething went off the air.)</p>
<p>ABC has most (if not all) of their shows on their site as well. Some of them they have all the episodes so far, some they only keep the last one or two, but they’re on there. Not sure which format, but I know I watch some on there when I miss an episode…</p>
<p>(For the record, Grey’s Anatomy is on the site… :D)</p>
<p>If you’re going to watch tv, do it in the other language.
In a lot of Europe, they watch movies and tv in English to get fluent in our language. Wouldn’t it be great if we watched tv shows in another language to get fluent?</p>
<p>Snowball, We were in Barcelona last Spring Break - D1 was studying abroad - we were shocked to see “primetime” porn (really violent gross stuff) I like to knit to the " white noise" of TV late at night-the only thing we found in English was European CNN. My daughter did not watch TV at all</p>
<p>I knew I would be blasted for the TV watching! I know she can watch in reruns, of course the shows are not always shown in order in the summer. I also know she could buy the season DVD, but she doesn’t want to spend that money. As far as the networks own site, it was our understanding that you can not access those sites from Spain and maybe other countries.</p>
<p>I hope she doesn’t get to see porn! I know she will enjoy watching shows and movies in Spanish, but that doesn’t mean she still wouldn’t enjoy watching her shows. Even if they were in Spanish she would be happy. For all I know she will start following some series in Madrid and want to follow it when she returns. BTW, I am not worried about her immersing herself in the language, she has to sign a pledge to only speak and I believe write in Spanish while in Spain. Her host family will not speak English and all classes are taken in Spanish; so if she decides to watch a show or two in English, I think she will be OK.</p>
<p>Well, if she can’t find the videos on the network’s web site, there are a lot of sites that have the streaming episode online a few days after it airs. There are also a few programs/sites that stream TV channels in real time, although sometimes they’re foreign versions of the channel.</p>
<p>I doubt it’s really legal, but I’m just throwing it out there…Google “watch tv online free” and lists of sites will come up.</p>
<p>A young friend spent the summer at a language program at Middlebury. Watching any TV in English was absolutely, positively, 100% against the rules. She was allowed to call her parents on the phone and speak English to them for under 10 minutes a few times a week. </p>
<p>Really, the OP’s daughter is embarking on a wonderful, exciting adventure. Forget about American TV for a semester. It will still be there when she returns.</p>
<p>snowball, I think you’re correct that the episodes available on the network websites will not work from outside the U.S. We cannot access them from Canada so I doubt that she would be able to from Spain. I understand how it would be disappointing for her to miss her favorite show, my Ds would feel the same. Sorry that others felt the need to blast you. </p>
<p>Even if she could access them, one thing she’ll find is that very few homes have internet access in Spain. It’s a rarity. There are lots of internet cafes and, of course, her school will have computers that students can use, but the chance of her host home having the internet is unlikely. My D did a summer abroad in Spain this past summer and had a wonderful time experiencing a very different culture. If I can reach her today, I’ll ask her about the tv shows and let you know.</p>
<p>Really didn’t want to blast, but I did feel obliged to say it. :)</p>
<p>The problem after we left Germany was missing our German TV shows - we had no idea where to find them. Interestingly, my parents watched one of them dubbed into English in Uganda, so they must have been available in some form somewhere.</p>
<p>Thanks alwaysmom! I am aware most homes will not have internet access; although she will be in Madrid and we were told that some of the host homes will have internet. I think my daughter thought if she could download at her school onto her laptop, then she could watch when she returned home in the evening or on the weekends. It really isn’t a big deal, she will survive, but if she could get one or two of her shows it would be a nice way to chill.</p>
<p>JHS-It might be that my daughter is not allowed to watch TV in English; she will have to check into that. Of course, if she isn’t allowed then she won’t do it. If she is allowed, maybe I will download the shows onto my external hard drive and bring it when we visit for her birthday. I think that might be a good birthday present!</p>
<p>mathmom-I believe some of the shows are available, but much later. My daughter’s friend that is in Spain now said that she is watching old rerun episodes of Friends.</p>
Sorry that others felt the need to blast you. </p>