When you are making the switch to Online TV versus broadcast TV, there are a number of things to consider. One of the more important factors is the speed of your connection to the internet. A dial-up connection generally is not fast enough to support high-quality video with high-quality sound. I highly recommend a broadband connection. Such a connection will support quality that is equal to the quality you are able to watch over broadcast TV. In most areas, the best broadband connections come through the cable companies, but if one is not available, your telephone company should be able to install a DSL connection. Both high-speed options are fast enough to support online TV and movies.

Next, you should consider the type of TV you plan to watch. There are a lot of options such as rerun shows, movies, radio and music, news clips, weather updates, live TV, and others. The type of service you choose makes a difference depending on the programming you desire. Although many offer all types, some are better when it comes to streaming movies. Another consideration along the same line is when you plan to watch. If you plan to view while you are on your computer, you may need a dual monitor setup. I use either multiple monitors or stream from my PC to TV while I watch and work at the same time.

Computers purchased in the last decade are probably powerful enough to watch TV online. If you plan to watch high definition TV or connect your computer to a newer TV, you should consider using a computer purchased within the last 4-5 years. Newer computers have what is known as an HDMI port. This is a digital monitor port that can be used to attach multiple monitors or LCD and plasma TVs. And HDMI cable is the same cable used to connect a newer DVD player or a Blu-ray player to the television. If you have a question if your computer has this connection or not, you can do a quick image search for HDMI and see what the cable of connection type looks like. One more important tip regarding HDMI is that you should not just run out to your local electronics store and purchase an HDMI cable. Rather, you could save $20 or more if you purchase the same cable online.

If you don’t have an HDMI port, you can use an s-video cable to video out cable to hook us your computer to the TV and accomplish the same goal.

Some good options for watching movie online are Hulu and Netflix. In the past, I watched many movies through Hulu. It is fairly easy to stream Hulu to TV with the connection options listed above. One problem I ran into a lot with Hulu was the lack of movie to choose from. There are a few hundred, but very few are new releases. Hulu is a free service driven by advertising. There are not many commercials, but due to the lack of titles I now prefer paying for Netflix. There are 17,000 titles I can choose from to watch online as many times as I please. I have yet to have trouble finding something to catches my interest. As it is a paid service, there are no commercials. Monthly fees start at around $9. If you plan to watch mainly movies and are interesting documentaries, Netflix is one of the better options.

It really is simple to get started watching online. I expect, that once you start, you will understand why so many people are making the switch.

Adam Meade is an expert who reviews different services that offer live tv net and mobile streams. One such service is Hulu. On his blog, he shows a method to stream Hulu to TV and enjoy a more comfortable way to watch Online TV.