edit (12/18/2007): I had to add Bedroom Media to the list, because it is probably the best one I have found yet.

TV-Links, a favorite site for many college students and entertainment junkies, faced the cold sword of the Federation Against Copyright Theft last week. The site was shut down for providing links to many Hollywood films and TV shows hosted on sites like YouTube and Megavideo. The 26 year old owner was arrested after a police raid, and the site along with mirrors of the site were taken down without notice. Even with the unjustified shut down, many other internet websites have appeared trying to grab a portion of the massive audience looking for a replacement.

Many are wondering why a site like this would be shut down, and not other sites actually hosting and distributing the content online. TV-Links only linked to videos hosted on other websites like YouTube.

“Sites like Megavideo and Stage 6 are the ones breaking the law. Its like arresting a guy for telling everyone where to get crack cocaine and baby raping kits, but not arresting the guy selling crack cocaine and baby raping kits.” local smart man, Bogiieee Samptin said. “This is all just so the media can start a shit storm and make the whole entertainment industry earn a little profit from another stupid drama.”

The site was extremely popular and ranked in the top 300 websites on the internet according to Alexa. With the shut down, many new websites have opened to replace the void. As a service to all those in need of a TV-Links Replacement, CricketSoda has reviewed 10 websites that are looking to replace TV Links (even though there are hundreds of websites out there, we wanted to showcase what we believe are the best.). At least we know that to shut them all down, the Federation Against Copyright Theft will have a tough job ahead of them. Make them work hard for every victory! Freedom of ideas! Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!

11 Websites that Replace TV-Links
These are in order from my personal favorite to the worst last resort. This is not an all encompassing list! Please feel free to post other TV Link type websites in the comments. I will add my own personal review.

free-tv-video-online.info
This one is a favorite because they seem to update with the latest shows and movies before all the other sites do. The website has the made in the basement feel, and is nothing to look at, but if you need the newest Heros episode right now, they will have it. They seem to have no fear, and post on their homepage “Videos stop working when youtube (or youtube clones) deletes the video. Youtube will delete ANY video when someone complains. So tell us when a video is deleted so it can be replaced with a another copy.” I kinda like that rebel attitude. Reminds me of the good old days with a free a clear internet.

Bedroom Media
A late addition to the list, but after I found this one I was amazed. They have everything, and come very close to a true TV-Links replacement.

videolemon.com
This website works much in the same way Google does, but it shows only video links, and opens them in a frame that allows you to go back and forth between different video hosting sites and the videolemon search. The problem is the people running the site desperately need money and have a lot of annoying ads on their pages. They use Zango, which pops up a window that says to access this “free site” you must install our adware. Just click no and cancel and use the site from there. It is a scam, and the site isn’t blocked or anything if you don’t download their crap.

alluc.org
This site is a little slow but the idea behind it is awesome. They combine the linking aspect of TV-Links, with the Web 2.0 community aspect. Users just go to the website and watch, or they can sign up and submit their own links. Each link has a rating system, so you can get a good idea of the quality and if the link works before you even try to watch it.

sidereel.com
This is was my favorite replacement for TV-Links until Project Free TV. Not only does the site look good and is easy to navigate, they have almost everything, and the links actually work. I watched the entire third season of Weeds in high quality, followed by Superbad and an episode of Twin Peaks (why it took me so damn long to write this review). They also provide related links to things like interviews and music videos. Most of the links are to high quality stuff, and I haven’t found a dead link yet. They also have a community feature, allowing you to contribute your own stuff. (Which is great for me because I own a website and they sometimes send traffic to my reviews and such)

joost.com
If you are looking for a more legal lets all be friends with partnerships and what not type of site, joost.com is looking kinda cool. They have a program you download, which gives you the Joost player. Its not a media play like Quicktime or anything like that, but rather a entire cable TV set up on your computer. They have hundreds of channels to choose from, and has much the same feel as searching the Direct TV guide for something to watch. They have several great channels like Adult Swim, and NBC network. Its worth a look if you are a cable TV junkie.

vidlist.net
Basically a TV-Links clone but with the ability to add comments. A lot of their content is hosted in Asia (thank god for Asia) so if you have problems connecting to those far off lands (like most people in America) this site may be a little disappointing. The offer movies, cartoons, and TV shows, and have a large disclaimer at the top of their site (trying to avoid being raided, but I am pretty sure the people doing the raiding don’t know how to read).

surfthechannel.com
Even the layout screams TV Links on this site, which is why I like it so much. It is a new site, and the content hasn’t been built up to a TV Links level, but they have a good collection of TV Shows (which is what they focus on). The episodes are listed by season and the title includes the original air date ( I guess so you can get a feel for what era you are about to watch). The also have a forum, witch is tiny, but growing quickly. With the death of TV Links, my prediction is the rise of surfthechannel.

tvlinksdb.com
This site has a great collection of links, and does a good job of making sure they all work, but their navigation is hard to use. Finding a certain show is easy enough, but the episodes are just listing in a random order. They are not organized into seasons, and the episodes are in completely random order, meaning when it is time to go to the next episode, you will have to read the list. The worst part, the next episode could not even be there, and you are stuck searching somewhere else.

movies-on-demand.tv
If you are in the mood for a Movie, the Movies on Demand TV is a great place to watch one. Why? Its not very popular (which means fast), it has a small collection of 325 movies all in high quality, and it links to the video with an embed directly in their page. You don’t have to visit other websites, and their focus is movies. But their collection is small, and something I can go through in a week or so and be done with. Their navigation works in a Blockbuster type style, with large images of the covers of movies, allowing you to pick much in the same way you would if you were renting. Of course, they never charge a late fee.

wheeya.com
This is what would happen if I tried to make a TV Links replacement website. They have a good general idea, but not enough man power to back it up, and not enough design sense to make something very useful. They have a good collection of links, but parts of the website don’t work, and other parts link to incorrect video. Perhaps if you are looking for something and can’t find it anywhere else, you could give wheeya a look, but if they want to succeed and capture some TV Links fans, they are really going to have to get the gears going, and spiffy the place up a bit.

TV-Links was the best, and nothing can replace the huge database of all types of video (from music videos to movies). These sites are valuable, but the lost of TV-Links was a huge hit to everyone who goes to bed watching movies every night. You will be missed TV-Links, RIP. May you owner find some cheap representation and get out of the whole mess without a scratch.

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