Did you know that aside from surfing the Internet, sending e-mails and doing your paperwork with your computer- you can also use it to view TV online?

Thanks to the technology behind video streaming, you can now log on to your computer whenever you want and view your favorite TV episodes.

Did you know that aside from surfing the Internet, sending e-mails and doing your paperwork with your computer- you can also use it to view TV online?

Thanks to the technology behind video streaming, you can now log on to your computer whenever you want and view your favorite TV episodes.

A lot of people find it very convenient to just sit back in front of their PC or laptop and choose to view their favorite TV shows whenever they choose too. There are no TV schedules to follow and absolutely no monthly cable statements that you would pay for.

What exactly is video streaming? To view TV online, video streaming makes use of streaming servers or HTTP streaming method to provide TV entertainment to Internet users. There are basically a number of video file formats used in streaming including Windows Media, Real Media, Quicktime, MPEG and Adobe flash formats. For each file format, there are a number of good and bad things. You might need to check out the quality of each video and test each one so you can decide on which format you would use on a constant basis.

If you are really a big fan of online TV, you should be aware that there are basically two ways to view videos on the web. These are downloading and streaming and the other method would simply require downloading.

If you choose to download a video, you have the option to view the video offline, even without an Internet connection. You would have to store the file on your computer for future viewing. If you download the file, then you would have quicker access to it but you may have to wait for a few minutes for a video file to be downloaded before you can view it on your computer.

The concept of true video streaming also makes use of HTTP streaming. Using this method would allow you to view TV online just by simply clicking on a hyperlink of the video file that you want to view. With HTTP video streaming, also referred to as true streaming, there is nothing to download or subscribe to a special hosting plan just to view TV online.

You can find a number of websites that offers TV shows that are both for downloading and HTTP video streaming. Some of these websites offer their services for no charge while other requires a certain fee. In choosing which websites you should get the services of, you might want to test the quality of the videos first before subscribing or using their online TV services.

Elizabeth is a staff writer for a network of tv sites where you can Watch House MD Online or Watch Weeds Online Visit Understanding Video Streaming.