Howto: Watch TV and Movies on your Computer
Trapped with cable-shunning relatives this holiday season, I discovered that the state of television and movie offerings on the internet has hit a point of momentum where it is finally becoming a viable alternative. Collected here is an annotated reference of available sources to cut the cord:
Netflix
Movies-by-mail market leader Netflix added the ability to stream selected movies from their website in early 2007. Since then they’ve steadily expanded their offerings including recent and classic television shows including The Office, 30 Rock, Weeds and Heroes.
Watch TV and Movies on Netflix (paid subscription required)
Sling
The makers of SlingBox has expanded on its set-top box empire to offer streaming direct from networks such as FX, CBS, NBC, FOX, and SciFi
Hulu
Hulu, the joint venture between NBC and Fox News Corporation focusing exclusively on ad-supported streaming video of TV shows and professional content, i.e. no home video of cats. Included in the offering are The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Simpsons, House, Arrested Development, Family Guy, The Office, and Saturday Night Live. Many of the shows are limited to a handful of the most recent episodes and are then removed.
ABC
If you hold your nose and install their janky plug-in, ABC is streaming free episodes of Boston Legal, Dancing With The Stars, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Scrubs, and Ugly Betty.
NBC
In addition to Hulu, NBC streams much of its content on its website, including ER, Friday Night Lights, My Name is Earl and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
CBS
How I Met Your Mother, CSI, Survivor, The Late Show with David Letterman
Watch Sports on your Computer
ESPN 360
ESPN 360 offers streaming video of selected telecasts online. The quality is the same for everything from announcers and camera angles to
CBS College Sports
CBS College Sports XXL offers a plethora of streaming coverage of college games at subscriptions of $14.95 per month or $119.95 for a year.
Specific Shows Available on the Internet
Daily Show
Jon Stewart and the good people at the Daily Show were among the first to show the netizens the love by putting all the content up early and allowing embedding on other sites.
Charlie Rose
South Park
Further Reading and Sources:
- Make Use Of: The Best Tools To Watch TV On Your Computer
