Legal places to get Heroes episodes
This list contains places known to offer legal digital episodes of the Heroes television series for streaming or download. It is maintained by Bugmuncher at the Superhiro.org forum. If you find sources not listed here, please notify Bugmuncher by private message on Superhiro.org or leave a comment below.
A common question on Superhiro.org is “Where can I download Heroes tv episodes?” The question was posted almost weekly back when I decided to build this page. As more people have come here, I have found more information.
First of all: There is no known way to get a legal high definition copy of Heroes online. All of the ways listed below are standard definition copies or worse.
Downloading or streaming Heroes tv episodes in the United States
Source 1: NBC.com
Download: Yes, but only on PC using Intel Viiv or Intel Centrino technology, from http://viiv.nbcuni.com/viivexperience.html
Details: Free.
Commenter Joel says:
The downloads are all in .wmv format, at 720px X 404px resolution, with 4146kbps audio bitrate and 1500kbps 24-bit video–they look really great. Except you have to install an application from a 3rd-party company named Entriq if you want to download and watch the movies. You can view the website source and get the actual URL for the episodes to download them directly, but they all have DRM protection and the only way to get a license to open the movie file is by performing the download using Entriq’s MediaSphere. And even then, the license issued with the download is only good for 1 week.
(Note that Joel says the audio is encoded at a higher bitrate than the video. This is unusual (and I think probably inaccurate). If someone has additional information, please add a comment below.
Streaming: Yes, you can watch the entire season, and some episodes even with or without commentary. Visit http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/episodes/ for a list of episodes that you can stream.
Details: Free; requires Flash, codec unknown, assuming VP6 (Flash 8). Dimensions are 600×450, with black bars encoded at top and bottom of the video. (Sometimes compression artifacts leak into the black bar area.) Video advertisements are also presented between segments of the show.
Source 2: Apple iTunes Store
Requires iTunes from Apple. iTunes requires QuickTime 7, and either Mac OS X 10.3.9 or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4.
Details: US $1.99 per episode; Download and watch while downloading. Files are 640×360 (eliminating the black bars at top and bottom, though they’ll still be there if you watch on a 4:3 display.) Uses H.264 (AVC0) codec for video at 23.98 frames per second, AAC 44.1 Khz stereo for audio. Protected by Fairplay DRM. Playable on iPod and AppleTV as well as your own computers.
Once you have itunes, go to the store and search for Heroes or click this link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewVideo?id=204459018&p=196139170&s=143441
A note about 23.98 frames per second: That’s the frame rate of the film they shot on. So, that’s better than 23.98 that was tele-cine’d to 29.98 for NTSC…
Other Heroes videos
There is a wiki set up at Sidereel that links to individual episodes at NBC.com, as well as other material like interviews. Keep in mind that it’s a wiki, so anyone can make it say anything. (As I write this, it says Masi Oka is Batman.) http://www.sidereel.com/Heroes
Streaming Heroes tv episodes in Canada
Commenter Mike left details below about GlobalTV, which has the broadcast rights in Canada. Apparently, the episodes can only be streamed to Canadian IP addresses, according to commenter Tony.
(Are you Canadian? Do you know anything about the size and quality of the episodes here? If so, please leave a comment!
Downloading or streaming Heroes tv episodes in Central America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America
Because of international licensing agreements, the sources that work in the U.S. and Canada may not work in the rest of the world. For instance, a number of UK viewers have complained that they are unable to get the episodes from NBC. Various people have left notes about their own experiences in the comments below. I don’t know whether they are legal or not because I don’t know how your country works. Your mileage may vary.
Technically, since Heroes is a network television show “meaning that it is accessible to any house with a TV and good pair of bunny ears in the US, there is no “illegal” way to get Heroes. It is the same as if someone were to make a VHS copy of the show and watch it later. The only way it would be illegal is if the copy were a DVD Rip.
Comment by Bob Hope — January 29, 2007 @ 9:20 pm
Mr. Hope,
If you change the word “Technically” in your sentence to “Ethically,” I would be more inclined to agree with you.
Please see Copyright Act of 1976, which spells out the exclusive rights afforded to copyright holders.
Additionally, I never said it was illegal to watch an episode of Heroes that you recorded yourself. Downloading a copy of the episode from the Internet without premission from the copyright holder is not the same thing, under the law.
I would also refer you to this informative article about the subject in Salon, which would side with you ethically, though it acknowledges that the law currently doesn’t match up with the ethics.
The point: If you want the law to agree with your ethical decisions, contact Congress and tell them to make the copyright laws more citizen-friendly. I think that’s a better route than infringing upon the rights of copyright holders.
Comment by jbwhong — February 13, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Lal i liek waffels!!
(#) waffel 4 u!
Comment by Kek — February 27, 2007 @ 11:06 pm
hiya im from the uk and we only just started heroes on da 19th of feburary its not fair lol. but i was reading ure msg and another reason its illegal is because uk are not allowed to see episode ahead of their uk show times. so the nbc has blocked any uk computer ip addresses viewing and downloading episodes its not fair but its the way it has to be. right now i have just finnished watching the 4th episode and i love heroes its wierd how hiro from da futer comes to warn about something what is it he is warning him actually sdont tell me lol bye
Comment by david — March 6, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
HiDef Downloads from NBC website:
The downloads are all in .wmv format, at 720px X 404px resolution, with 4146kbps audio bitrate and 1500kbps 24-bit video–they look really great. Except you have to install an application from a 3rd-party company named Entriq if you want to download and watch the movies. You can view the website source and get the actual URL for the episodes to download them directly, but they all have DRM protection and the only way to get a license to open the movie file is by performing the download using Entriq’s MediaSphere. And even then, the license issued with the download is only good for 1 week. I’ve only downloaded one episode using Entriq’s software, and it was Episode 18 this past Tuesday because I missed it Monday night, so the license may expire a week from when each episode is posted regardless of when you download it. And they only have the most recent episode available for download.
Comment by Joel — March 8, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
It’s theoretically great that NBC is streaming the episodes on their website, unless you live in Canada. Whenever I’ve logged in I continually end up with an error message stating that the stream is not available in my area. I encountered the same problem with Lost last year. Thankfully I’m pretty much caught up but it’s limiting me from introducing my friends to the show, which is rather frustrating. I just can’t quite believe that a border is making all the difference :/
Comment by Yatsirch — March 27, 2007 @ 11:36 am
OK…. i am in japan!!! i cant go to NBC and watch them, cause its not “available in my location” and y would i buy the episodes when i can watch them for free off NBC? y cant they make it so that other parts of the world can watch them?
Comment by Paddle — April 1, 2007 @ 7:41 am
I totally agree with Paddle!!!
I’m from asia too and without the channel Heroes is showing. No one sells the DVDS!!!
Comment by Joey — April 21, 2007 @ 2:18 am
i am from ireland and it sucks big time dat nbc wont let us watch heroes for free
Comment by darren — April 23, 2007 @ 5:01 pm
Well i can tell you all a way to get to watch Heroes if you live outside of the US, as i have been looking where to get episodes without the ball-ache of downloading.
NBC is obviously no use to me as i live in the UK, but…
I found a nice little site which allows you to stream the episodes straight to your screen and has the convenience of having all the episodes in one place, up to date (well maybe a day or two later than the US airing, but it beats the hell out of no heroes at all)
Put it in your bookmarks:
http://wow-tv.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=438
Comment by Barnes — April 24, 2007 @ 3:30 pm
These links to get Heroes only work if you are in the US. Access is blocked to other countries. It’s probably more to do with the licensing than the law. NBC will be charging UK stations a fortune to broadcast the series - they could hardly get away with this if they were also streaming the entire series ahead of time for free. We wouldn’t wait to watch it on TV then, would we? And so the UK networks wouldn’t pay for the franchise.
At least, that’s the thinking. There are some streams, but so far I haven’t found a very reliable one…
Comment by rain — April 24, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
I think the best place to watch them is at www.wow-tv.co.uk as Bames said above. Aswell as all the links working and in the same place (no external sites) it also gives you the first air date and production numbers for the hardcore fans
Comment by James P — April 25, 2007 @ 3:24 am
thanx for tip Barnes! I’ve watched episode 19 now it was great. This site it’s off the hook. it’s added to my favorites now.
And a message to Rain I’ve tried the site works perfect and i live outside US, you should try it!
Comment by jojo — April 25, 2007 @ 4:06 am
@David from the UK. You, sir, are a glowing example of all that is wrong with the education system in this godforsaken country. If you are sending a text message to your MySpace chums, fine, by all means use ur leet txt spk sklz. But if you’re writing on a public forum, please, for the love of Mike, try to at least pretend you’re not a 12 year old girl with ADD and big thumbs.
Comment by David's Mum — May 1, 2007 @ 3:11 pm
Thanks Barnes!
I’m from Asia and I can watch the episode from your site now… only that ep 18 is not available… and people stopped uploading to youtube after April, that’s bad~
Comment by tata — May 1, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
Okay, I tried the wow tv site and their links weren’t working, but I reported ‘em to the forum, so fingers crossed.
I was getting Heroes streamed from http://vip.tv-video.net but the stream kept crashing, and now they want money as well…
why isn’t everything in life perfect, and free?! lol.
there’s a great place I stream Lost from (ibaQ) who have started doing Heroes, but not from the start yet. Maybe soon!
Comment by rain — May 2, 2007 @ 3:39 pm
WoW tv have started adding alot of them back I seen. Still the best and easiest place to see them I think.
Comment by James P — May 4, 2007 @ 9:31 am
PEOPLE!!
i used to watch heroes at
http://www.tv-links.co.uk
also a good place to stream and watch most shows, cartoons, movies etc.
but….. realising alot of the heroes episodes were stage6 divx i found you can watch them at pretty much dvd quality , and fast streaming at
http://stage6.divx.com
enjoy!!
Comment by samsam2021 — May 6, 2007 @ 3:14 am
Www.wow-tv.co.uk owns tv-links (old broken link site). + Stage6 deletes them too fast.
Comment by Nano — May 7, 2007 @ 7:07 pm
Direct heroes series link http://wow-tv.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=438
Also they have episode summary’s and let you hotlink to the video’s. Unlinke the paranoid moron’s at tv-links.
Comment by Nano — May 7, 2007 @ 7:11 pm
Hi, I am also form the UK and I am just writing in reference to David’s comments to let you know that we don’t all write/speak like pricks.
Comment by Simon — May 7, 2007 @ 8:08 pm
Glad to help guys!
Comment by Barnes — May 8, 2007 @ 2:55 am
WoW TV is offically the first place in the UK to have the new Heroes Episode. VIP members got to see it at 5am this morning while it held a public release on site at 11am for guests. Direct link http://wow-tv.co.uk/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=1312
Comment by Nano — May 8, 2007 @ 3:06 am
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/globalshows/heroes/index.html
Global TV is the Canadian rights holder to Heroes and you can they stream Heroes episodes on their website similar to NBC’s website though I do not believe there is an option for downloading.
Comment by Mike — May 8, 2007 @ 9:37 pm
At Mike. = Thats for Canadians only. (if u didnt know)
Message: Sorry, this content is limited to Canadian viewers.
Comment by Tony — May 9, 2007 @ 11:13 am
i think its not cool that nbc dont let people see the episodes of heroes for free
nbc: u should let us watch heroes for free!
Comment by fran — May 16, 2007 @ 9:52 am
Hey. I stay in South Africa but the internet speeds don’t really support streaming. I’m looking for a place where I can just download the whole episodes. Any help appreciated
Comment by Badrudien — May 21, 2007 @ 11:21 pm
For David, Do a google search for a hide my ip style program there are certain ones out there that can give you a dummy US based IP this then tricks NBC’s software so us in the UK can watch the episodes
Comment by Ben — May 22, 2007 @ 6:44 am
Well you can see it for free if you live in US/CA, and if you live outside those countries just watch them at www.wow-tv.co.uk
Comment by Nano — May 22, 2007 @ 10:15 am
oh wow. thanks guys!!
I
Comment by Amy — May 22, 2007 @ 8:43 pm
You can also watch episodes 1-10 on shoutfile.com:
http://www.shoutfile.com/v/LXauBLF7/Heroes_1×01_-_Genesis
The other episodes are below the first one!
Comment by Amy — May 22, 2007 @ 8:45 pm
I think that people would be happy to wait and watch the episodes when they come out, except for the obscene number of advertisements shown. I’ve totally lost patience, and would rather pay for episodes than tolerate that one more second. At the moment I could put a brick through my television, so waiting until these are in the video store is probably a better solution.
Comment by Sutherland — May 23, 2007 @ 7:01 am
okay, I’ve tried pretty much all the suggestions, and I reckon DivX is the best of the lot. it’s got Lost and all sorts of other stuff on it too. Can’t lose!
Comment by rain — May 24, 2007 @ 2:32 pm
I live in South Africa and Heroes episode 1 was shown here on 23/05. I couldn’t wait 6 months for the conclusion, and thanks to all the links on this forum my wife and I watched the entire series in 2 days. Great!
thanks.
You can also get the entire series at Cinecast :
http://cinecast.us/?L=tv.browse&cat=Heroes
Comment by lloyd — May 26, 2007 @ 7:09 am
I’m in the US but I want to watch them at work during my lunch break and I don’t have the newest flash on my computer so anytime I try to go to the NBC site it errors out that I don’t have FLASH so I can’t watch it. I’ve surfed to about a dozen other sites claiming to have it including that www.cinecast.us site and none of them work any other suggestions?
Comment by David — June 4, 2007 @ 1:28 pm
If you’re also living in a country that is being blocked from accessing the series in a legal manner you can simply download any bittorrent client and just download the series yourself as a form of democratic protest.
Comment by anon — June 5, 2007 @ 3:19 am
hey,does anyone out there have the full first season of heroes
Comment by peter — June 21, 2007 @ 7:06 am
lloyd,
You were that hooked after 1 episode? O_o So what are you going to do next year? Wait until the season is over and then have a marathon again? ^^>
And it seems Global TV in Canada no longer has the episode(s) on their site since the Heroes page is very, very basic with just a summary. I used the site Nuip.net to get around the ISP matter with NBC and the page didn’t load properly so that it could function. Here’s a screenshot.
[URL=http://www.10pix.com/show.php/107505_06212007124001.png.html][IMG]http://www.10pix.com/out.php/t107505_06212007124001.png[/IMG][/URL]
Comment by LK — June 21, 2007 @ 11:28 am
I wnt to the wow tv site and all the recent episodes have been removed due to breach of contract so i am assuming nbc had a fit so kinda useless now
Comment by Orcarose — July 4, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
I like how NBC has taken this series online more then other series, they allow you to watch the videos after they have aired on TV, the only problem with the NBC heroes site is its so darn slow after an episode because everyone and their dog is going online to watch it.
But there are the good sources where you can download them from (Legally), so it makes thing all that much better.
Thanks for the list and nice site.
Comment by nbc hero — July 26, 2007 @ 1:25 pm
Just to let everyone know that I’ve tried every single site mentioned above and think they’re all pretty poor.
I’m in the UK so that rules out about half.
The other half contain either broken links or the wrong episode. For instance, I’m on episode 18. Wow-TV indicates episode 18 for streaming, but when clicked it shows you episode 7 instead.
TV-links.net used to be good but most of their links are dead…the only one that works links you to a v v low bandwidth Chinese site that takes forever to stream and crashes quite a bit (and uses a poor media browser called ouou or something).
Joox.net is another site that has since (apparently) been shut down, but that used the DivX / stage6 site for it’s source, but stage6 doesn’t have epi 18.
Looks like i’ll be torrenting it then.
PS. Also tried cinecast.us (site down) as well as EVERY SINGLE LINK from http://www.ovguide.com/ (all of which were pretty poor).
Comment by Gaffer — July 27, 2007 @ 3:46 pm
http://www11.alluc.org/alluc/tv-shows.html?lang=null&action=getviewcategory&category_uid=601
most of the episodes. ive seen all of them up to 14, which i cant find.
if you are in the UK then only choose videos that link to http://www.veoh.com
you can try others but veoh.com is probably the best. i think.
Comment by joel, not the other guy though — August 10, 2007 @ 12:23 am
Season 2 at www.wow-tv.co.uk in high quality.
Comment by heroes fan — September 29, 2007 @ 3:47 am
Season 2 at www.wow-tv.co.uk
Comment by heroes fan — September 29, 2007 @ 3:48 am
I found the most recent Heroes episode on www.projectfreetv.com that wasn’t yet available on any of the above-mentioned sites.
Comment by i'm an addict — November 12, 2007 @ 4:19 am
So I just missed half an episode of Heroes (I hate missing half a show) so I thought of that whole NBC.com thing. Then I quickly realized they have something against Canadians when I got that “not available in your area” message. WTF NBC!? I hate you now.
Comment by JL — November 12, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
Thanks
Comment by heroes — November 20, 2007 @ 2:17 am
Season 1 and 2 at http://www.watch-heroes.info
Watch Heroes Online
Comment by Heroes Online — November 23, 2007 @ 9:33 pm
Can anyone tell me what will work in Australia please?
Comment by Aussie Chick — December 29, 2007 @ 2:23 am
Check out http://www.viewheroes.com !!! Enjoy
Comment by Harrry — March 14, 2008 @ 5:35 am
Can you play it on the Nintendo Wii Internet Channel or does it still say the same region block thing?
Comment by Grant — May 17, 2008 @ 12:15 pm
Harry your a star! Thanks a million just caught up with the episode I missed last week reaad for Thursdays braudcast
Comment by nick — May 19, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
Well you can watch the nbc eppisodes by bouncing off a “proxy” computer in the states. Just google “free proxy list” and choose a us proxy. You may have to try more then one. They are easy to set up in IE and Firefox, google it. I will explain no more.
Comment by Morons — September 29, 2008 @ 7:50 pm
There is a legal way to watch it outside USA but not in high quality.
try website http://m.nbc.com/iphone/
you will get links to 3gp files resolution is 480×320 actually of iphone. Download it or watch it directly if you have quicktime plugin.
Comment by Ami — December 3, 2008 @ 5:08 am