3000 Channels on your PC for Free?

So I stumbled across this ad:

http://onlinetvnetwork.com/

But if this and other products like it are free (after initial purchase), then why do I need to pay a monthly fee for the same service on my TV?

Also, does anyone know of a similar product that is available on Linux? Certainly if this is based on standards, then there must be open source alternatives?

1. You can't access a price without filling out their forms.

2. Under FAQ I found this:
Can I cancel my membership?

Absolutely, if you ever become dissatisfied you may cancel at any time during the course of your membership without any further obligations.

3. Further obligations? The ad implies no further fees.

Too good to be true? If anyone signs up, let us know.

I checked out what appears to be a similar product (maybe this one) a year or so ago. Without going into technical details, the software offers a menu selection by type of programming, which permits the tuning of particular stations. In my experience, few of the options available were recognizable, and fewer still actually available to watch. Apparently, popularity diminishes the likelihood of tuning. I'm not sure that other causes don't also come into play. Remember that accessible stations must be available through the internet. Which ones that you want to see do you think freely disperse their content to anyone on the web who has the cheap third party software to view it? Most of the stuff that I could see was presented in a foreign language and held absolutely no appeal. The viewing window was painfully small; the option to enlarge it did little more than reveal the inherent low resolution.

I can't swear that my experience will be the same as yours, but in this age of HDCP, guarded content, specialized packages, and devious advertising, the message for all those who aren't willing to drop $30 to $40 (a guess) on speculation is caveat emptor.