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

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

And the proven fact 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 films via the internet still can still have some connotations of shady practices for example torrenting pirated material and poor quality products. In contrast, which is changing fast and internet TV is hitting the mainstream.

With fast connection speeds and technologies for example DivX you may watch high quality television and you may 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 enable you to stream TV shows should you have missed them on tv. They may be often posted on sites about one day after it airs on tv.

This is ideal if you miss an episode while you can go back and watch it any time. On the other hand, these streams are really popular and also you may experience bad lag while attempting to stream the show if it aired recently. Shows usually stay online for about per week and are only available to United States Of America 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 info 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 may experience some lag at peak times.

It really is now also possible to stream live television as it happens. Like P2PTV you’ll 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 sports events.

The web being what it really is, there are numerous 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 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.