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

As the potential of web video has always been apparent, but it not until recently that it has begun to match more traditional visual entertainment in terms of quality.

And the idea that computers offer so much more are making them an increasingly popular way to watch TV shows. In place of waiting with bated breath for the next episode of your favorite series, or ruing the loss of an episode missed, you may have all of it on demand at the web.

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

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

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

This is ideal if you miss an episode as you can go back and watch it any time. On the flip side, these streams are popular and you may experience bad lag while attempting to stream the show if it aired recently. Shows usually stay online for lms.aimms.edu.pk`s recent blog post about a week and are only available to United States Of America residents.

Another option is Peer to Peer TV (P2PTV). The emergence of websites 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 much like torrenting. Unlike torrenting the content is streamed, and not downloaded onto your hard drive so you could experience some lag at peak times.

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

The net being what it is, there are plenty of options for watching TV shows and movies online. Torrenting clients are hugely popular however the legality and ethics of this practice are questionable, and it’s 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.