The Internet is posing unique challenges to the bigwigs at movie and television studios. Consumers, particularly in the younger age groups (the biggest consumers of TV and video), are spending more time in front of their computer screens, and less in front of their TV’s. For the media corporations, the question was this: how do they provide the content you want to watch, in the venue in which you want to watch it, in a way that’s still profitable for them?
In a post last week (here), I talked about some of the not-always-legal ways to watch TV online. Many of those sites are people filming in theaters, or ripping from their screens. They’re free, vast databases, but aren’t always the highest-quality product either. There are an increasing number of legitimate, copyright-supporting ways to stream video out there, and they have several benefits. The quality is typically much better, both of the site and the videos. They’re legal, so they’re less likely to go dead. The quantity is rarely more, but the quality of the experience is much better.
That said, here are some of the best places to watch TV, while supporting the networks, online. They’re all ad-supported, so expect to see some advertisements before you get to your video. It’s a small price to pay, in my opinion.
1. The Networks.
Most TV networks now offer full episode lineups of their shows online. CBS (here), NBC (here), and ABC (here) have all been doing it for a while. For each of them, select your show to see episodes and extra videos available. They offer most or all of their shows online, in streaming format, in great quality. There’s an increasing amount of HD video on their sites as well, but it will definitely require broadband.
There’s a new player to the game, too: The WB. Host to One Tree Hill, Smallville, Friends, and tons of reruns of great shows, is now offering its shows online. Its site (here) is both the fastest and the best-designed, and is the only one to offer episodes of shows like Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Friends.
2. Hulu (here)
More and more TV networks are working with Hulu, and the benefits are all yours. Search for your favorite shows, which are often put onto Hulu very soon after they air on TV, and you’ll find a vast database of episodes. Watch popular episodes of shows, popular shows, or do your own thing. You can also watch teasers, interviews, and webisodes. J.J. Abrams’ new show, Fringe, looks awesome, by the way. You can follow a show if you create an account, and have all your videos in your page on Hulu, but there’s no need to sign up.Video is fast and gorgeous. If you missed a show, Hulu is definitely the place to start.
3. Fancast (here)
Comcast’s offering goes into the mix here, and does a lot of the same things Hulu does very well. There are 38,145 videos online as I write this, and the number continues to grow. Watch South Park, Gossip Girl, and everything in between. Fancast also offers movies, and actually has a surprising number of them, which is a plus. I don’t like the interface nearly as much as Hulu, but the content is really solid. The nice thing about Fancast, though, is that you can play with your DVR, and record a show if you decide you like it. See TV listings and the like- great if you’re a customer, but you won’t notice it if you’re not.
4. Miro (here)
I’m cheating a little with this one, as it’s sort of a cross between last week’s post and this one. Miro’s too great not to mention, though. Miro is a desktop application that totally changes how you watch videos. It manages downloads, YouTube, will play any file you throw at it, and lets you watch videos from all over the Web. It’s not as geared to network TV, but is an incredible app for watching Web video. For a more complete, and really thorough review, check out Lifehacker’s take on Miro here.
With these applications, you won’t need to download videos, or break any copyright laws, again. Comcast wants to limit your bandwidth? Stream your videos, and you won’t even miss it. As the rest of the world goes to the Web, TV’s coming too, and watching your favorite shows has never been so easy.
