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I have no cable or satellite service, but instead get over-the-air HD via roof antenna connected directly to my 40" Samsung LCD. Also, I have an Apple Mac Mini connected and I love it! I can record shows off the antenna using PVR software called EyeTV (www.elgato.com)

As far as online content goes, I can watch Hulu, Youtube, Comedy Central, etc. off the Web, since they are all based on the Adobe Flash player. Also, Netflix just introduced a new Mac player based on Microsoft's Silverlight. Here's the link: http://www.netflix.com/silverlightoptin

I have a MAC and have found that alot of the online movies are PC only. Any MAC users out there with some advice?

I watch most shows on my computer.
BBC has many online television shows.
Newsnight, Panaroma, just to name two.

I have a 32" big box television and
prefer to get a larger monitor for my
computer than a flat screen television.

Because I stopped watching
television, on a regular basis, long ago.

It used to be, that the first thing I
turned on, when I came home from work,
was the Television, now it's the computer.
The television stays off.

Also read most newspapers on my computer.

The Independent UK,
The Guardian,
HAARETZ,
YETNEWS,
El Pais

Why spend the money to buy a flat screen
television when there is nothing on it
worth watching and everything is available
on the computer anyway?

I don't watch sports.

In order to get the quality fairly equal to regular cable or television, a high speed video card is definitely needed!

I recently bought a 46 inch HDTV, and hooked my computer up to it.

Now I watch Netflix and DVDs on my computer through the HDTV, but I switch to regular TV for sports. It's the best of both worlds.

I just looked up Hulu, it's awesome. Thanks for calling attention to it!

One aspect TV networks like the Web:

TiVO is of great concern to the TV networks -- more than 20% of homes now have some sort of recording device, and people are using them to skip commercials. Meanwhile, many of the Web-based video players that the TV networks use prevent ad skipping.

Plus, since the program viewer watching via the Web player has more proactively selected the program, the belief (based some on research) is that the viewer is more engaged in the programs and the ads. Your guest mentioned higher ad recall on Web vs. TV, as an example.

With NBC's hulu.com and CBS's TV.com, I am able to watch shows online in HD with fewer commercials. As mentioned, I can pause and resume shows. Hulu.com offers subscription to episodes which assists in automatically having shows in queue. The best part is, I hook up my laptop/desktop to my TV or projector allowing me to enjoy TV on the small screen, not the smaller screen. :)

As Brian pointed out, this discussion ignores TiVo.

* TiVo allows me to schedule my viewing for when it works for me.

* TiVo allows me to skip commercials in less than a second for each one.

* In adding a SlingBox, I am even able to watch whatever is on my TiVo from anywhere I get internet access.

********************

Of course, there is the problem of the commons. If she is not watching commercials or paying for cable, who is going to pay for the production of these shows? Does she think that all of this will be produced for free?

HULU and other online sites are meant to be loss leaders and/or put old content out there. But new shows need to be paid for.

A television is like the center-piece of the livingroom alter. I havn't had a tv since I was a kid. I mostly listen to the radio, especially WNYC, and read alot. Im happy to watch the odd tv show on line, but most of it isnt that interesting.

I've been watching all my TV shows on-line for the past 3 years. I buy shows, like Mad Men, on I-Tunes and I rent "seasons" of shows from Netflix. I've noticed that commercials are getting longer on the main TV sites, so I guess I'll get the commercial references at parties very soon. I've also noticed that TV sites no longer have all of their past episodes available on line, just the past 4 or 5 episodes.

I find I don't veg out and channel surf like my friends. My watching is focused.

I am so used to being able to pause and replay when watching TV on a TV, I forget and realize that I don't have the same options. Online is so much more viewer-friendly.

It might be useful to mention the DTV transition - everyone will lose over the air signals starting on Feb 17th. Right now, only people with disposable income can make the decision to watch online. If broadband were more affordable, perhaps everyone could have the luxury of turning into sasquatch!

Have you seen http://strike.tv/? It's online television that started with the WGA writers while they were on strike. This is their attempt to cut out the middleman and it's really smart "television!"

We use the laptop as our tv by viewing the network sites, hulu and netflix. There is less advertising, viewing times are not fixed and we tend not to surf.

don't own a TV...
sometimes download from iTunes (like Mad Men)
but at least i don't waste my time on the majority of garbage that's & my children never watch anything, worth not owning a tv just for that!

I haven't owned a tv in YEARS and rely soley on the internet for my tv veiwing. Yes... there are some disadvantages (quality varies widely from site to site) but for me, the only real downfall is having to KNOW about a show before hand over accidentally discovering the shows through regular television viewing.

I haven't had a TV since '94. The best was when the Neilson people called. I was so psyched to participate but they wouldn't let me. The guy was in total disbelief that we didn't have a TV. In recent years we've borrowed TV DVD's from friends and seen a few shows that way.

I think we're going to someday find the distinction between a television and a computer and television (as a concept) and online to be quaint. It's all merging technology.

I thought I was the only one I knew who had switched to computer viewing in 2008...only to discover that everyone in my office under 30 has been doing so for two years. Content is great, fewer adverts, on demand...in sum, greater viewer control. Now watching more...Madmen, The Office, 20 Rock, NBC Evening News. Now come on NBA and MLB! Not Sasquatch viewers, but rather the Conquistadors...this is new viewing!

When I got my new 23-inch HD monitor a year or two ago, I gave away my 13-inch TV (which I only really used to watch DVDs anyway since, without cable, it took much doing to get a clear picture on anything). Between netflix and online TV options there's more than enough to distract me.

While we own a TV for use with a DVD player, we watch all TV shows on a laptop. We do not have cable service and antenna reception is non-existent. Interesting you just brought up sports because neither my wife nor I follow sports so that may facilitate our living the "sasquatch" lifestyle. We have noticed that some of the major networks no longer leave an entire season of episodes available for viewing; I think it's abc that now only has 3 episodes online at a time. As for shows like Mad Men, iTunes actually has them available for download concurrent with the TV season, and it's cheaper than paying for a full cable service for just a handful of shows.

Yipee, its nice to know I'm not alone. I didn't want to fork out $800 for a lot of cable channels I don't want to watch. So on-line TV is great, especially since Netflix now streams movies. However the major challenge I've discovered is BANDWIDTH. I live in Columbia U. housing with ethernet, supposedly fast, but when I stream I get what is called "throttled" which disrupts the stream. Apparently I can only stream between midnight and 10am - thus I'm seeking a new cable provider with better bandwidth. Will providers see it as a way to boost their profits by charging more for bandwidth?

I absolutely love tv on the internet. I have started watching more tv because of the internet. The best part is the one commercial per break oh yeah and the fact that I can watch in the kitchen, in the bathroom, on the deck just by picking up my laptop.

Since hooking up my computer to the television 2 years ago I cancelled my cable subscription. Through sites like hulu & boxee and even buying quality programs on itunes I have saved hundreds of dollars on cable bills and been able to watch tv at my own pace.

also with new tv tuners users can turn their computers into broadcast televisions and record their favorite shows to watch later.

Lots of people may be doing this but I feel sorry for them. With HD becoming mandatory for all broadcasters there has never been a better time to watch television, and by that I mean actually on their tv set. The quality of picture and sound is virtually theater quality. With timeshifting technology like Tivo and DVR's you don't have to be tied to the tv schedule. Not to mention its not comfortable to sit at your desk to watch a show or have a laptop heating up as you watch tv.

Exactly, only women can do without a TV set and a remote control. I've dreamed of losing my cable bill, but the fact is that I need to watch sports every night.

I recently found Livestation - a program that streams news channels (including Al-Jazeera english!) which was a nice balance to the entertainment-heavy Hulu/Tubes/Joost etc. Internet television is getting better and better....

... and the networks are not threated... i believe that hulu.com is in partnership with nbc/universal

I watch a lot of shows online b/c I frankly, I don't want to pay the cable or satellite bills.

But maybe you shouldn't tell the TV execs if they don't know about this!!!

You can buy shows like Madmen from iTunes, but there are lots of free full episodes on the Internet.

I watch on my Mac Intel laptop and the quality is generally quite good.

ABC.com is the worst. Why do they make you "click to continue" just show the commercials already.

I always watch my TV online. I have a laptop, I can watch my favorite shows for free, with less commercials. I also can watch more shows than I can watch on my TV, b/c I don't have cable, so I go to hulu.com to see showtime, and hbo shows, or shows that are off tv now .

When the slate roof on my 100-year-old house finally gave out, the antennae no longer worked. I started watching TV online and almost everything is on some Web site (even cable shows). I usually use my desk top and multitask office chores while watching. I prefer watching online because there are fewer commercials and I can pause when I need to.

Hey Brian-
We moved to a rural area in upstate NY 1 1/2 years ago---gave up the TV (bliss) --but we listen and watch everything off the net. We've lsiten to your show regularly--watch Netflix, Hulu and catch Colbert and Stewart almost every night. We watch International TV as well-and love it!(almost no commercials!)
The only thing I miss is Sports--but hey, it makes my wife happy!
Happy Holidays--love your show!

Geoff & Debbi

I gave up my TV three or four years ago and I watch a bit online now. PBS is also starting to put more of their programming online. Don't publicize this too much...right now there's a minimal amount of advertising on these shows and online viewing catches on that will undoubtedly change.

I live in a studio. Having a TV would completely dominate my apartment and ruin the environment.

I actually do not have a television in my apartment. I do all of my watching online. I refuse to pay for cable or have a tv in my home. I find that I actually accomplish more in life without the tv. I have a laptop at home and I will watch a few hours per weeks.

Your guest isn't current. All shows are available online through file sharing services like bittorrent. Go to mininova.org and you can see all of the shows that people have made available for download. Use at your own risk. ;)

I decided to get rid of my ridiculously large tv a couple months ago. I do watch television and movies through streaming and download. More importantly, I find myself reading more and doing other productive things like sewing, cooking, or other things that I think enrich my home life more than television ever has.

Recently, I found not having watched shows like 30 Rock and The Colbert Report were a disadvantage to conversation and some cultural knowledge, but I think I can catch up!

Me too! Love hulu.com and the other sources.

mad men on hulu!!! http://www.hulu.com/videos/search?query=Mad+Men

and I am not alone!!!!

My g/f and I watch LOST online, The Office, John Stewart, Colbert... she also watches Desperate Housewives, House, The Bachelor...

We watch on our laptop from the comfort of any room we wish. When an ad comes on, she'll go to facebook while I mute the volume. Plus it's great to pause to discuss something.

MAD MED is available on iTunes!

The rent on my apartment in Manhattan ate up too much of my salary for me to fork over an extra $70 for cable. I saved so much money watching "The Office" and "Gossip Girl" on NBC/CW's websites. It also saves time because I can download them from iTunes and watch them on the subway on the way to work!

I haven't had a tv or watched tv for 10 years (since I left for college). Now that tv is online, I'm watching tv shows for the first time.

I had no idea you could watch tv shows online!! That's how unaware I am.

My girlfriend is a tv watcher, and she watches online only at this point. Not stealing, either, using Netflix on demand or going to the networks' own websites to watch House, for instance.

I was a net-only guy, not watching tv at all, but she's got me hooked.

Also: crunchyroll.com if you're an anime geek.

Cheers,
Billy

You can purchase Mad Men on iTunes - not free, but cheaper than cable!

You can most certainly watch Mad Men online. Both seasons are on ITunes!

I AM SASQUATCH!

Ask her where we can get the Simpsons and South Park online.

and of course it is a MACbook.

I stream from my laptop for WNYC and Air America. I use podcasts, watch movies on my ipod. My tv is 13 years old and I plan to toss it. I like to watch tv on my laptop.