OTHER TECH

SO, WHAT KIND OF VIDEO CAN I SEE?

Let's start with the most fundamental type of streaming, which needs only a broadband connection and a computer. YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, is familiar to most people. It's essentially a file-sharing site where anyone can upload video clips and anyone can watch them.

The content ranges from the sacred to the pornographic. Regarding the former, Pope Benedict XVI has his own YouTube channel. I won't cite any of the latter. Some clips have generated millions of views and social commentary. The thoroughly odd Bus Uncle (youtube.com/watch?v=RSHziqJWYcM) has probably become the topic of more than a few doctoral dissertations (profanity alert).

Most of YouTube is strictly amateur, but the company recently signed a deal with CBS, Lionsgate, and MGM to allow it to post full-length movies and TV shows with advertisements. This is meant to counter a similar site, Hulu, which features programming from NBC and Fox.

Speaking of which, Hulu is pretty slick. You'll find free and complete movies such as Men in Black and Last Tango in Paris there, as well as tons of old and new cable and broadcast TV episodes. For the latter, though, don't overlook the broadcast networks' own Web sites, which often post new episodes right after they air. Finally, be sure to check out southparkstudios.com, where you'll find every episode of South Park from all 12 seasons, available for free streaming. Of course, the highest-value targets in videoland are recently released movies. One of the most visible sites here is Netflix. Already established as a mail-order video-rental company, it has expanded aggressively into streaming.

Last time I counted, Netflix offered 12,000 movies and TV episodes for streaming, 300 of which were in high-def. The process is pretty simple: Go to the site, add a movie to your Watch Instantly queue, and then sit back and enjoy. While you can watch streaming content directly on your computer, you'll probably need a Netflix-ready Internet device to see it on your TV. (More on that later.)

Also note that with Netflix, we move from free streaming to paid streaming: You must be a Netflix subscriber to stream movies. One subscription (from $8.99 a month) covers both discs by mail and streaming. About 9 million people are already onboard. There are many other streaming sites. Blockbuster, still the dubious champion of bricks-and-mortar video rental, has drunk the streaming Kool-Aid and signed a deal with CinemaNow to provide access to online movies. Of course, Apple's iTunes Store single-handedly changed the way music is bought and, along with Apple TV, followed up with movies for sale or rent. The Amazon Video on Demand service offers more than 40,000 movies (for download rent or purchase) and TV shows (for purchase). Finally, the Zune Marketplace is carving out a niche, primarily in TV-show video downloads. When Walmart starts streaming movies, we'll know that streaming has truly come of age.