Finding free TV online

Dear Propeller Heads: I've heard there's a bunch of free television available on the Internet. Can I watch my favorite shows on my computer and cancel my cable?

A: Now really, just how much fun is it for the family to gather around your 22" monitor to watch Dancing with the Stars? Don't you want to actually see why Bristol Palin has been rated in the bottom for each show?

The short answer to this is "yes," but PropellerHeads dislike short answers. Twirling our propellers, watching TV, and tech talk are our very favorite things. So here's a bit of tech talk on the subject of Internet TV.

If you truly don't mind sitting in front of your monitor to watch your favorite shows, you probably can get by without cable. A current article from CNET, http://bit.ly/gi0ykj, gives a daily accounting of someone who has done just that: cut his Verizon FiOs and get all of his TV via the internet.

We PropellerHeads all forked out the dough for big screen HDTVs; heck, we thought everyone had by now. Sitting in front of our monitors when we're writing code to solve all the world's tech problems is no big deal. But when we watch TV, we want our screen to be a BIG deal.

Anyway, why would you want to watch TV from your monitor? All you need to get video from your monitor to your HDTV is an HDMI connection along with digital audio capability. Both are now standard on many PCs. A quick scan of NewEgg.com reveals decent video and sound cards to add HDTV capability and digital audio to your desktop PC for well under $100.

Then you can go to www.hulu.com or the TV network websites to watch your favorite shows online. Programming is delayed from the original air date by anywhere from an hour to several days. The anticipation of who will be booted off Dancing with the Stars is more than I can take, so there's no way I can wait an extra second to know who got axed. Maybe you don't mind watching the Steelers play the Bengals a day or so after the game, but that wouldn't work for die-hard fans.

There are some Internet sites that let you watch live-streaming TV on your computer, but it's debatable whether they're legal. One popular site, www.FilmOn.com, was recently issued a restraining order by the U.S. District court of New York forbidding it from streaming shows from the big networks. It seems there are some copyright issues that FilmOn must address. Another site, www.wwitv.com, that is has 2599 live streaming TV channels, including many foreign broadcasts.

This PropellerHead tried out a few of those resources. Even though the shows were purported to be HD quality, they were far less than that. Shows lagged a bit, and the display was fuzzy. Those issues were more dramatic when I tried switching from watching on my monitor to my 55" HDTV. Tried is the operative word, since the shows were too slow and fuzzy to be watchable. I have Verizon FiOs, so connection speed is not the problem.

So my final verdict is that although Internet TV is definitely not ready for prime time, it will likely be the wave of the future ... time will tell. I'll let you be the judge. Speaking of judges, has Bristol taken the A-train back to Alaska yet?

When the PropellerHeads at Data Directions aren't busy with their IT projects, they love to answer questions on business or consumer technology. E-mail them to questions@askthepropellerheads.com or contact us at Data Directions Inc., 8510 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Visit our website at www.askthepropellerheads.com.