The days of the television could be numbered. Statistics show that individuals are spending a growing number of time in front of their computers, that will soon replace the trusty TV as the nation’s number one form of entertainment.

As the potential of web video happens to be apparent, but it not until recently that it has begun to match more traditional visual entertainment with regard to quality.

And the proven fact that computers offer so much more are making them an increasingly popular way to watch TV shows. As opposed to waiting with bated breath for the next episode of your favorite series, or ruing the loss of an episode missed, you can have all of it on demand at the web.

The mention of watching TV shows and films online still can still have some connotations of shady practices for example torrenting pirated material and poor quality products. However, 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 may do it with a clear conscience.

Television networks have come to recognize the opportunity of the internet as a medium for broadcasting television shows. Networks like NBC, ABC and CBS allow you to stream TV shows should you have missed them on tv. They may be often posted on sites about one day after it airs on tv.

This really is ideal if you miss an episode as you can go back and watch it any time. In contrast, these streams are quite popular and you may experience bad lag while attempting to stream the show if it aired recently. Shows usually stay online for about per week and are only available to United States residents.

Another option is Peer to Peer TV (P2PTV). The emergence of web sites 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 much like torrenting. Unlike torrenting the content is streamed, and not downloaded onto your hard drive so you may experience some lag at peak times.

It’s now also possible to stream live television as it happens. Like P2PTV you’ll need a client to do this and since it is live, shows are not available on demand. These services are especially popular for live music and sporting events.

The internet being what it is, there are plenty of options for watching TV shows and movies online. Torrenting clients are hugely popular though the legality and ethics of this guy practice are questionable, which is a notorious way of infecting your computer with viruses. Many TV shows also are available to stream from ‘unofficial’ sources, but again this practice is questionable.