Online TV Vista Gadget

Gadgets are small tools that provide fast access to important information or frequently used applications on the desktop. Such an utility is Online TV Vista Gadget, a lightweight tool that can stream online TV channels.
Once installed, the player is displayed on your desktop. The main interface only comprises playback buttons, but more options are available in the right-click menu. Here, you can pause or stop the video, adjust the play speed and the volume level.
A list of the TV channels is available via the 'Options' section. Here, you can manage the existing URLs (select the one to play, remove channels) or add new items by entering the stream URL. In order to identify channels easier, the application enables you to assign a custom name to each URL.
Zooming options are also available and full-screen mode can be activated with just a click. If you like certain TV shows, you can use file markers to instruct the gadget to notify you when those shows are on.
By default, Online TV Vista Gadget automatically detects the connection speed, but you can also choose it manually. Furthermore, the network buffering time interval, as well as the playback options are customizable.
Advanced users can also configure the settings for playing the online media content, such as the used protocols (UDP, TCP, HTTP) and ports. The application's functionality can be enhanced by using audio and video digital signal processing plugins.
Video smoothing, DirectX video acceleration, multicast streams customizable border color and playback statistics generator are other advantages that this application comes with.
Although it is just a simple sidebar gadget, Online TV Vista Gadget comes in handy for any Windows Vista user that is looking for a simple method to watch online TV channels directly on the desktop.