Komputer Klinic: Did you miss a TV show? Just catch it online

A television revolution is under way. Prime time is dying as many networks are putting full-length programs online. You can catch popular shows and old favorites for free on your schedule.

Like regular television, online television generates revenue from ads. Don't expect to fast-forward through commercials as you would with a DVR. But at least for now, there are fewer commercial interruptions. You see a couple of minutes of advertising for each half-hour show. Some sites also use annoying pop-up ads, though.

What you need

You don't need any special hardware to watch shows online. However, you must watch from your computer. You can't view shows on your television unless it's connected to your computer.

Your computer needn't be terribly powerful. Your broadband speed is more important; video eats up bandwidth. Video sites usually adjust the video quality to suit your connection speed.

You'll need a more capable computer to watch high-definition shows. A dual-core processor, 128MB of graphics memory and 1GB of RAM are recommended. Your broadband speed should be 2mbps or faster.

Relatively few shows are available in high-definition.

Most sites play shows directly in your browser. You may need to install a browser plug-in. Others require that you download a special player.

Beware broadband caps

Your service provider may impose a broadband usage cap. You could quickly hit this cap. An hour of standard-definition video can be more than 200MB of data.

Also, some players use peer-to-peer technology. Your computer is used to help distribute shows to other viewers. This will add to your bandwidth usage.

Start at network's site

If a show is available online, it should be on the network's site. Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC each host their programs on their sites.

Many cable channels like Comedy Central also feature shows on their sites. You won't find much from premium channels like HBO, though.

The networks also have distribution deals with other sites. A number of sites offer shows from several networks.

However, content will vary from site to site. Shows available on a network's site may be absent from third-party sites. And, you may notice a difference in video quality.

Aggregator sites

Hulu features both full-length episodes and short clips. Additionally, there is a selection of movies. Fox, NBC and related networks provide the programming. You can catch shows like "Bones," "ER" and "Nip/Tuck."

Hulu will also help you find other networks' shows. Hulu's search box can direct you to programs on other sites.

Joost is much like Hulu. However, it requires a special player that uses peer-to-peer technology. The software runs on both Intel-based Macs and Windows machines.

Joost features videos from CBS like "Jericho" and "NCIS." There is also programming from CNN, MTV and other cable channels. In all, more than 28,000 shows are available.

Fancast features full-length shows and clips from all the big four networks. There are also movies and programming from cable channels. You'll find shows like "House," "Big Brother" and "Star Trek."

Some shows may not be available. But Fancast tells you how you can watch shows on demand via Comcast.

TV Guide offers shows from the four major networks and cable channels. For example, there's "Brothers & Sisters," "NCIS" and "Burn Notice."

You can watch videos directly on the site. Or, you may be directed to a different site. TV Guide also links to sites where you can buy shows.

Even Web portals are getting in. AOL, MSN and Yahoo all have video sites. You'll find videos from the major networks and cable channels.