Cheap Ways to Watch TV
...Netflix
Cost: Starts at $4.99 per month.
The DVD rentals-by-mail company has invested heavily in streaming video technology over the past few years, and it's finally paying off. Every Netflix subscription grants unlimited access to its library of over 12,000 videos — including some current television offerings like NBC's Heroes. And the service is no longer bound to your PC. Now you can stream movies through your Apple computer, Xbox 360, the stand-alone Roku box and Blu-ray players from LG Electronics and Samsung.
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Hulu.com
Cost: Free
Hulu.com, the streaming-video love child of NBC Universal and News Corp., is one of the best places on the Web to find free video content. While Fox and NBC have contributed the bulk of the media, some Comedy Central programming and movies from the likes of MGM, Warner Bros. and Universal are also available. New television episodes usually appear the day after they air, but the licensing contracts vary by show. All the content is free, but you will have to suffer through advertising spots.
Joost
Cost: Free
Originally set up as a peer-to-peer video distribution network, Joost ran into a bunch of problems since its January 2007 launch — it had little appealing content and forced viewers to use an unwieldy media player. That changed in September 2008, when it relaunched as a browser-based streaming service. Most full episodes come from Viacom and CBS, both investors in Joost. Joost also just released an application for the iPhone that lets you stream its video content when connected to wi-fi hot spots.
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TV Network Sites
Cost: Free
Television networks, at this point, have wised up to the fact that consumers will go elsewhere if they can't watch television shows on demand, free of charge, so networks now stream their current crop of television shows over the Internet. User experiences vary: ABC prides itself on streaming its shows in slick high definition; others have clunky interfaces and content that is hard to find. CBS is currently experimenting with social viewing rooms that let watchers comment, Mystery Science Theater-style, on the live stream.
Sling.com
Cost: Free
Sling Media, makers of the "Slingbox," which lets you access recorded television shows remotely, launched a streaming site at the end of November. It is similar in substance to its content partner, Hulu--a lot of free, ad-supported television shows and movies from Fox and MGM--with the addition of content from CBS, CollegeHumor, Reuters and the Associated Press.
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Adobe Media Player
Cost: Free
Last April, Adobe launched Media Player. The difference between this and other services: Adobe lets you download the Flash videos for playback in its player. That means you won't be subject to the interruptions that occur when your connection speed drops. Content is rather limited--most provided by MTV Networks, Universal and PBS.
