Watching TV Online: The Internet Is The Future Of Television

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The advent of broadband Internet has opened up a world of online video and paid TV online. In the past, people could only talk about their favourite TV shows on the Internet; now they can watch them! There are a large number of options when it comes to viewing one’s favourite shows online, and this variety also extends to smart phones and downloadable media. The increasing ease and reliability of online viewing has led many to believe that traditional broadcasting will cease to exist, or be cut down in volume, although its defenders point to the fact that cable TV did not do away with traditional aerial broadcasts. Online TV Do’s and Don’ts There are many ways to watch TV online, and they are not all legal. There are many websites that purport to offer free television shows online via upload services such as RapidShare or download programs like BitTorrent. However, the shows on these services are illegally pirated and shared, and are notoriously home to viruses and other malware. Such files should be avoided not only because they are illegal, but also because the viruses and Trojans they tend to harbor can cause permanent damage to a PC’s vital files. The best legitimate way to view TV shows online is via YouTube or a paid TV service offered via the Internet. A large number of clips from many TV shows have been uploaded to You Tube, which is backed by Google’s famous search system in order to make it easier to find what you’re after. Most of the clips are uploaded by home users but, increasingly, TV shows are uploading their own episodes in an attempt to prevent piracy and ensure that only legitimate, unedited video clips are found on YouTube. Unlicensed clips, or those uploaded without permission, are usually taken down quickly, leaving only those which have the official blessing of recording studios and television companies to be shown. Legitimate Internet TV Increasingly, many shows now operate their own streaming websites in order to prevent piracy of their shows and give their viewers an opportunity to view shows when they want. This process was most famously started in America by Hulu.com, however due to region restrictions the site could only offer videos to computers with American IP addresses. Companies in other countries have stepped up to fill the void, and most Australian TV shows are now available through the Internet on official sites. Some international programming is also available on the Internet, especially in the form of news shows. Paid TV services increase the viewing options, of course. You can buy access to channels from your Internet service provider (ISP), although not all Australian ISPs offer this TV service yet. It is this specialized, manufacturer-delivered content which is considered the most exciting, as it removes many of the costs associated with broadcasting. It also circumvents almost all censorship limitations and distribution laws, enabling almost anyone to make a show for almost anyone else, provided they can find the funding. The invention of web-only TV shows such as “The Guild” and “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” has led many to speculate that in the future, television shows will be produced and distributed in a purely online format. The fact that these shows require much less technology and fewer staff to produce, and that they can be shorter and simpler than traditional television shows, is one of the biggest reasons that many media companies are looking to the Internet as a new and exciting distribution format. Having a new channel to watch shows on as well – smart phones – so that people on the go can play these shows, also makes the transition to Web all the more potentially lucrative. What that means is accessibility and availability will continue to increase and more and more people will be watching TV online and subscribing to TV channels via their ISP.

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