If, like the Argonautica household, you canceled cable to save a couple bucks a month (actually over $100/mo., but that’s a story for a different post), you might be looking for some alternatives to get your boob tube fix. I tried Joost, but quickly gave up, and now I’m trying out the free shows and movies on LikeTelevision.

They are free and they are online, but I can’t recommend the site without caveat. LikeTelevision (”only better,” they say) is an online site that offers classic television shows and films for free. I’m watching the “Barney’s First Car” episode of the Andy Griffith Show as I write this post. I also checked out a couple classic films this weekend which I outlined below.

Unfortunately, LikeTelevision is seeking subscribers for its full size high quality versions of films, i.e., those of a size you can actually watch on a TV. So while the free offerings are decent enough resolution, they are only of a size you can enjoy on a laptop or smaller screen. For example, no matter which computer I streamed Yojimbo or Street Fighter on, I couldn’t figure out a way to get the widescreen/letterbox aspect films (16:9) to appear any larger than about 4 inches by 2 inches. Full screen aspect films (4:3), such as Orson Welles’ The Third Man, appeared to be around 4 inches by 3 inches on my computers. Not surprisingly, television shows are the same 4:3 aspect and size. I noticed on the Andy Griffith show that an LTV logo appeared in the bottom right corner, which I don’t recall seeing in the film versions.

There were also advertisements displayed in the sidebar for the free versions, but a little manipulation with the Real Player display settings got rid of them easily. I would recommend using Real Player, because I did have problems trying to use alternatives. Lastly, the subscription model LikeTelevision uses is ridiculous, at those prices a viewer would be better off subscribing to Netflix or a similar service with better variety for less cost.

So, while the site definitely has its drawbacks, there is some classic free content that streams well on broadband connections and might pass the time if you’re on a laptop. Savvy viewers could probably even figure out a way to capture the content and convert it to enable viewing on a portable device as well.

P.S.- I do recommend the “Barney’s First Car” episode. Barney even gets to put his bullet in!