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TVCentral Offers a popular TV and movie download site

 
    
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TVCentral
Read our critical review and see how TVCentral stacks up
TVCentral Review
 
Are you tired of missing all those episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy?” Wish you had a copy of the last “LOST” show, so you can try and figure out the meaning of those numbers?
 
Do you miss all those great old episodes of “Friends or "Seinfeld" or almost every other show- past and present?
 
Whatever the show is that you’re looking for, TV Central claims that you will never miss an episode again! What is TV Central and how can they make these claims? Are they true? Throw out the VCRs folks, and get ready to embrace the latest method of watching all your favorite series…even those old ones that you thought you’d never see again.

TV Central declares that it grants instant access to the largest P2P (Peer to Peer) networks available. This allows users to download single episodes or entire seasons of their favorite television programs, as well as sports events, movies (old movies and new releases too), music and more. With more than 5 million users online at any one time and over 240 million users total, it sounds very believable when they state that, should you join TV Central, you will never miss an episode again. With so many people online, at any given time, how could you not have everything that you need? While this sounds like a definite plus, history tells us that many other companies make these claims and can boast similar numbers, but if you’re trying to find that really obscure television program about watching paint dry, it may not be easy to find a lot of other people who share your love of acrylics.

Speed is also a definite concern with the millions of downloading fans and TV Central is sure to address this frequently on their site, making such claims as they are “incredibly fast” and informing us that they provide access to the “fastest and most reliable file-trading networks online.” Also on their home page, they mention having “accelerated speed” and again tell us that they are granting access to “the largest and fastest downloading network on the planet.” Of course, this might leave you wondering how fast is fast or just what, exactly, is meant by “incredibly fast” but don’t expect to find any in-depth explanation of that on this site. In fact, looking over the FAQ, users are informed that on average, with a 56.6 Kbps dial-up modem, “a 100 to 120 minute movie would take about the same time to download as any other 700-800 MB file.”

So, apparently, “incredibly fast” is just as fast as everyone else. No faster. Well that’s not very reassuring, considering all their earlier claims. The FAQ also reveal that there are some problems with “Server Error #500” which are common when the servers are experiencing network difficulty. Fortunately, they say that these problems are normally fixed within the hour, but it’s possible that they can go on for longer. While the honesty is appreciated, it’s rather unsettling to find this in the FAQ section. After all, if it’s a frequently asked question… wouldn’t that suggest the problem happens frequently?

Another area of concern can be found in the FAQ, where they are asked about downloading files that won’t play. After going through a list of suggestions regarding changing file names and the like, the user is told to try naming the files to .exe programs and running them. In all capitals, afterwards, it tells the user to be careful and to scan for viruses. This is a definite lack, when compared to many other P2P downloading sites, due to the fact that a majority of competitors tend to offer their own virus scanning for downloaded files.

On a more positive note, TV Central does not try to get you to purchase other programs or guides, when you sign up for their one-time membership. You have your choice of a 1 year, a standard (though it doesn’t specify how long a standard membership lasts), or an unlimited membership, which are flat fees with no additional fees for downloading material. They are also backing their membership with a full-satisfaction guarantee though, unfortunately, they do not specify what this guarantee entails or how long it is good for.

TV Central seems like a promising thing but, unfortunately, there are still many vital questions that remain unanswered. Prior to getting involved in such a situation, there should be a great deal of discussion and comparison shopping. This one may be a bit too risky for many to become involved with.

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