The days of the television may very well be numbered. Statistics show that people are spending an increasing number of time in front of their computers, which 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 in terms of quality.

As well as the fact that computers offer so much 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 series, or ruing the loss of an episode missed, you may have it all 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. Conversely, that’s changing fast and internet TV is hitting the mainstream.

With fast connection speeds and technologies such as DivX you can watch high-quality television and you will 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 enable you to stream TV shows if you have missed them on television. They may 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 viewing movie watch it any time. On the flip side, 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 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 really is now also possible to stream live television as it happens. Like P2PTV you may 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 net being what it really is, there are lots of 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 also available to stream from ‘unofficial’ sources, but again this practice is questionable.