Whether you’re busy in the evenings and can’t catch your favorite shows, don’t want to pay for cable, or just find yourself at a computer more often than at a TV, watching your favorite TV shows on the Internet might be a tempting alternative. Here are some suggestions if you want to watch online episodes of your favorite shows.
Check the network’s Web site
If you’re looking for online episodes of a specific show, the first place to look is the Web site of that show’s channel. NBC.com puts many episodes of its shows online (albeit with a slight delay) and often in HD. Comedy Central has a special site devoted to full episodes of The Daily Show. The Food Network has full episodes of several, though not all, of its TV shows on the Internet, and even allows for searching of its video library by recipe.
Online video services
Another option is Hulu, which rebroadcasts TV shows on the Internet. You can choose to search by short clips or full online episodes, and find a variety of shows: animated, science-fiction, comedy, reality, or home improvement, among others. Hulu also has a special section for movies and movie trailers. One advantage of Hulu is that it includes online episodes of shows no longer on the air, including Dilbert, Knight Rider, and Dark Shadows.
You’ll want to check the system requirements of any media streaming site to achieve best results; streaming video still takes up quite a lot of bandwidth, and streaming HD video can be particularly demanding. (You might also want to consider online access charges when streaming media, as well, if you pay by the megabyte to access the Internet.)
Netflix subscribers can stream some TV shows to their home computer via the “Instant Queue” feature.
Watching the game online
What about watching sports online? The major sports are available, but generally not for free. MLB.com will charge you at least $15 a month for audio and video of baseball games. An NFL GamePass subscription will run $25 a week during the regular season. NBA.com also has a variety of packages for watching basketball games online. There are exceptions to paying for view: CBS has offered the March NCAA basketball tournament live online for free in the past.
Keep your viewing legal
There are Web sites that offer online episodes via file-sharing methods that grab show episodes. Downloading episodes in such a way, however, may expose you to legal risks. Accessing your TV online through licensed providers is the safer way to watch.
