The days of the television might be numbered. Statistics show that people are spending increasingly more time in front of their computers, that will soon replace the trusty TV as the nation’s number one type of entertainment.

While the potential of web video happens to be apparent, but it not until recently that it has begun to match more traditional visual entertainment with regards to quality.

And the fact that computers offer so a lot more are making them an increasingly popular way to watch TV shows. Rather than waiting with bated breath for the next episode of your favorite free series online, or ruing the loss of an episode missed, you may have all of it on demand at the internet.

The mention of watching TV shows and movies on the internet still can still have some connotations of shady practices such as torrenting pirated material and poor quality products. Alternatively, that is changing fast and internet TV is hitting the mainstream.

With fast connection speeds and technologies for example DivX you can watch top quality television and you will do it with a clear conscience.

Television networks have come to recognize the potential of the web as a medium for broadcasting television shows. Networks like NBC, ABC and CBS allow you to stream TV shows if you have missed them on tv. They can be often posted on web sites about one day after it airs on television.

This is ideal if you miss an episode when you can go back and watch it any time. In contrast, these streams are quite popular and also you may experience bad lag while attempting to stream the show if it aired recently. Shows usually stay online for about a week and are only available to United States Of America residents.

Another option is Peer to Peer TV (P2PTV). The emergence of web pages such as joost.com has made these a popular choice for watching TV online. You will normally have to download a special client to watch these as the technology is similar to torrenting. Unlike torrenting the content is streamed, and not downloaded onto your hard drive so you might experience some lag at peak times.

It’s now also possible to stream live television as it happens. Like P2PTV you need a client to do this and because it is live, shows are not available on demand. These services are specifically popular for live music and sporting events.

The net being what it really is, there are plenty of options for watching TV shows and movies online. Torrenting clients are hugely popular though the legality and ethics of this practice are questionable, which is a notorious way of infecting your computer with viruses. Many TV shows will also be available to stream from ‘unofficial’ sources, but again this practice is questionable.