TV enhanced: Make good use of the Internet

By Jessie Atkin

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Television is changing everywhere.  From the Discovery/Imax/Sony 3D TV channel venture to the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem -- a joint Enterprise between five Hollywood studios to develop a digital standard (which would allow you to purchase a digital copy of a movie just once time so you can watch it anywhere instead of the the limits currently on digital files).  But, while these projects are in development, the possibilities currently available in the digital television realm deserve our attention just as much.

If we step back and look at the simplicity of basic television viewing, as in it's on a television, the Internet can enhance a traditional television-viewing experience even without a DVR or AppleTV. The Internet was about information long before it was about video and thus the roots of the online world can assist both the casual and hard-core viewer of the original tube. 

On-screen channel guides have made scheduling far more convenient on the TV itself, but that doesn't mean just because it's convenient that it's the best option.  Schedules can be accessed for the day on sites all over the Internet without the long delays on television loading and scrolling.  IMDB.com, tvguide.com, and yahoo.tv.com are only a few examples of sites that offer daily schedules for most channels.  But the Internet doesn't stop at mere search and find.

Online is where you can personalize what you want to know and see, and make it all easier to remember.  Yahoo.com for instance offers my yahoo home pages to users. You can access your email from the same page that offers you news headlines, personal weather, and personalized appearance.  You can also add a television schedule to your home page.  See what's television programming is available to you right after you read about what's going on in the world.  Yahoo also allows you to personalize your schedule by picking your time zone and cable service provider so no time conversions are necessary if you live in the Midwest.  If you are looking for more of a golden invitation to your nightly programming, sidereel.com is the answer. 

Sidereel.com offers your average weekly television schedule on its home page, but once you've established your account, the product offering gets much more interesting.  With a free account on sidereel you can then search and "favorite" the shows you watch.  Once you've set up your favorites sidereel will email you the morning before they air so you don't miss any new episodes. 

If you do own a Tivo and watch your television on your own schedule you may be interested in whether or not your favorite show is worth watching that week.  Eonline.com and ew.com (Entertainment Weekly) like to offer their two cents about shows from the previous day.  It's all very subjective, but it can make for an interesting read if you're wondering about wasting an hour or simply whether or not you were the only person to fall asleep during the previous nights episode.

Schedules and reviews have always been incredibly important -- and rather popular -- in the realm of television.  But what really matters is being able to watch your shows. We all know about Hulu and Youtube, Fancast.  But that's all TV on the Internet.  It all comes out a day too late and isn't as organized as it could be (despite queues and airing updates).  What about a true marriage between TV and the Internet?  That's where slingbox comes in.

Slingbox is just another TV box, like a DVD player or a cable box, but it's better.  The Slingbox lets you control your TV shows from anywhere in the world over your computer or mobile device.  If you're on a trip in Missouri and you want to watch an east coast football game not broadcast near you, no problem.  If you have the Slingbox software (called Slingplayer) already downloaded on your device (computer or iphone) you just open it up and you can access all your local channels at home.

It's even possible to record shows on Slingbox with a DVR.  Get back to the dorm a half hour late for Heroes?  No problem. Slingbox recorded the show and is in progress.  Get ready to rewind just as you would on the home TV.  I also have it on good authority that it's possible to watch live Slingbox TV on your iphone while in flight with an Internet connection.  Does it get any better?

The Internet isn't here to destroy television but to enhance it, it's just important to understand what's available.