Melanie1989 Posted March 5, 2015 at 10:21 AM Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 at 10:21 AM Hi everyone, Does anybody know of any decent apps to watch Chinese tv? When i first started learning there was a very helpful one called ChinaTV but it hasn't worked for about a year now, so i finally gave in and uninstalled. A few others that are available in the playstore seem a little unreliable and i haven't had much luck with the ones i have tried. Specifically, i should say, i am looking for something where i can browse through the channels, rather than searching for specific shows. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. (Possibly unnecessary disclaimer) I love these forums, they are incredibly helpful, i just don't feel like i can contribute much towards it as my Chinese needs major improvement before i could begin to give anyone any advice or recommendations myself. I have also been pretty sick for a while so i'm sorry if it seems like i'm just coming here when i need some help, then buggering off again. Just felt like i needed to clarify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael H Posted March 5, 2015 at 11:08 AM Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 at 11:08 AM This isn't exactly what you're asking for, but the sohu tv app is quite nice. Tons of past shows, e.g. drama series, to watch. (But it's not a simulation of an actual tv where you can flip through the channels and see what is currently playing.) It works great on my ipad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbradfor Posted March 5, 2015 at 09:00 PM Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 at 09:00 PM CCTV has live streaming through a web browser, but no app (I believe). Only 1 channel? Which channels do you have in mind? I would think commercial Chinese TV (e.g. Star) wouldn't allow free streaming w/o a subscription, or else how could they make money? Sogou has a similar app to sohu as well; at least in some stores it's only listed in Chinese (搜狗). They have it organized by categories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted March 6, 2015 at 03:13 AM Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 at 03:13 AM i just don't feel like i can contribute much towards it Asking questions is contributing towards it, because questions prompt discussion and there will almost certainly be other learners with similar or the same questions down the track and then we'll already have lots of (hopefully) useful information for them to read. All because of asking questions like the one in this thread, so don't think doing that is all take and no give. Questions are the seeds from which the forums grow. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie1989 Posted March 7, 2015 at 03:03 PM Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 at 03:03 PM Thanks guys. I will have another look around with your recommendations, but maybe i am chasing my tail. The ChinaTV app i had before (https://play.google.com/store/search?q=chinatv&hl=en) maybe 20ish channels from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Even maybe a Japanese channel too but, like i said, it's stopped working and seems to have been abandoned. JBradfor, i am not necessarily after free apps, the one i mentioned just happened to be free. They make money from ads anyway but i'd be happy to pay. From what i remember of the app, it had news channels, movie channels, Chinese opera tv (or something of the sort), lots of CCTV channels etc. Just anything to help with listening practice. I have lots of listening materials at home, just not much for when i'm out so something for my tablet would be a great help. I have already listened through most of Pimsleur and things for learners, but not natives. I like the unpredictability that comes with native materials. Anyway, rambling. Thanks Imron, i do get that, i just would like to answer questions and give advice too, but i guess that comes with learning. Still just feels like i'm taketaketake, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie1989 Posted March 7, 2015 at 03:04 PM Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 at 03:04 PM Ok, i posted a link but it's not there anymore.....that's why the first paragraph doesn't make much sense Nevermind, fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiao Kui Posted March 7, 2015 at 08:30 PM Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 at 08:30 PM I like CBox. I think it's the official app of CCTV. It works great on my iPad and iPhone and is also available for android. I use it with Apple TV to watch Chinese TV in the states. Has both live and on demand shows, and i believe shows can even be downloaded (on the iPad app at least) for later viewing. http://cbox.cntv.cn/pad/index.shtml 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallcity Posted March 20, 2015 at 07:34 PM Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 at 07:34 PM i enjoy watching shows on www.bilibili.com not sure it fits your criteria, but it is an absolutely crazy site. My favorite show is "Lady Boyfriends", a Thai tv show with Chinese subtitles. About some ladyboys going to high school in Thailand. A sitcom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie1989 Posted March 20, 2015 at 11:17 PM Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 at 11:17 PM @Xiao Kui thank you! Sounds like a great substitute, i'll have a look Tallcity, as a member of the LGBT community myself, i will choose to ignore the "ladyboys" part of your reply and jot down bilibili.com. Thank you very much though, it sounds interesting nonetheless! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallcity Posted March 25, 2015 at 07:08 PM Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 at 07:08 PM as a member of the human community, i say, enjoy the site! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamD Posted March 25, 2015 at 09:55 PM Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 at 09:55 PM Melanie1989, I downvoted you by accident. I'm very sorry. It was a genuine mistake. The LeTV (乐视网) and PPTV iOS (and presumably Android) apps are fantastic. They let you download stacks of shows and watch them offline. Everything is subtitled, from my experience. They don't let you browse channels as such, but there's plenty of category browsing to do. CBox is definitely great for channel surfing. I worry that one day the Chinese government will implement geoblocks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie1989 Posted March 26, 2015 at 07:54 AM Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 at 07:54 AM No worries Adam, and thank you for your suggestions. I found PPTV on Android but it all seems to be in Thai. I dunno, it's still very early here, i'll look again after my coffee! Tallcity Congratulations on being human, i guess i should have referred to myself as an abomination! Criminals have nothing on being gender blind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted March 26, 2015 at 08:45 AM Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 at 08:45 AM I'm pretty sure Tallcity was including you as human, Melanie. Good to see you posting, please don't worry about absences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flickserve Posted March 26, 2015 at 09:37 AM Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 at 09:37 AM been using Viki.com. Thanks for all those other links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceciliamiao Posted March 31, 2015 at 09:19 AM Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 at 09:19 AM I use LeTV. It's been working well for me. If you're outside of China, I really recommend looking up the shows on YouTube. Due to copyright issues, IP addresses from out of China are usually blocked from watching videos hosted on Chinese websites. But if the show you want to watch is only on Chinese sites, try to get the browser add-on called "unblock Youku." That's beeb the quickest fix for thousands of Chinese living abroad to watch shows on Mainland sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarsBlackman Posted April 22, 2015 at 02:30 AM Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 at 02:30 AM I just started using this app this week. It live streams every Chinese tv station, both central and local. I'm not sure if it's available for Android though. While it's great to watch shows and dramas, there is something to be said for watching unscripted, live tv, particularly news broadcasts and interviews. 电视直播HD by 会走的云 https://appsto.re/us/9Z1BI.i Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxm_17 Posted April 22, 2015 at 05:45 AM Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 at 05:45 AM www.iqiyi.com (app 爱奇艺, you can download from their site or stream from the website) is probably one of the most popular in China Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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