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The days of the television might be numbered. Statistics show that individuals are spending more and 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 has always been apparent, but it not until recently that it has begun to match more traditional visual entertainment when it comes to quality.
As well as the fact that computers offer so much more are making them an increasingly popular way to watch series TV shows. Rather than waiting with bated breath for the next episode of your favorite series, or ruing the loss of an episode missed, you may have everything on demand at the web.
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’s changing fast and internet TV is hitting the mainstream.
With fast connection speeds and technologies for example DivX you can watch good quality television and you can do it with a clear conscience.
Television networks have come to recognize the potential of the internet as a medium for broadcasting television shows. Networks like NBC, ABC and CBS make it possible for 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. Conversely, these streams are extremely 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 residents.
Another option is Peer to Peer TV (P2PTV). The emergence of web sites such as joost.com has made these a popular option for watching TV online. You will normally have to download a special client to watch these as the technology is much like torrenting. Unlike torrenting the content is streamed, and not downloaded onto your hard drive so you might experience some lag at peak times.
It is now also possible to stream live television as it happens. Like P2PTV you need a client to do this and since it is live, shows are not available on demand. These services are specifically popular for live music and sporting events.
The web being what it’s, there are various options for watching TV shows and movies online. Torrenting clients are hugely popular although the legality and ethics of this practice are questionable, which is a notorious way of infecting your computer with viruses. Many TV shows are usually available to stream from ‘unofficial’ sources, but again this practice is questionable.
