By Robert Leitch, Technology Manager; Senior Producer/Director

On TV or the Internet: what's the difference? When you break it down, most people watch TV and most people watch video on the Internet. Actually, news just came out that folks spend as much time online as they do watching TV. But what is the difference?

Historically, TVs were in the living areas of the house, the comfortable areas: bedrooms, family rooms, etc. You watched TV in comfort. When you think about the Internet, at least until recently, you typically think of accessing it at a desk in a home office or "computer room”. (In other words, getting online didn’t mean being comfortable when you’re doing it in a room suited for doing taxes, not for family movie night.)

All that said, with the emergence of wireless technologies, computers have slowly but surely crept out of their confined, stuffy home offices into the open. Even now, though, the best computer has trouble competing with giant, 50-inch screens and home theater sound...until now.

Fast-forward to today and your local electronics store. Take a look around: many DVD players and TVs are web-ready, meaning YouTube, Netflix, podcasts and more are all at your fingertips for your entertainment, on the big screen, with big sound, in the big room.
 
So I ask again: what is the difference? If you see video on your TV in your living room does it matter to you if it comes from a broadcast/cable TV station or if it comes from an online content provider?

Both TV and the Internet are moving in the same direction: to create content that people CHOOSE to seek out. The DVR changed the way people watch TV: you don't have to tune in to watch TV live, you get to choose what you see and when you see it.  

The line separating TV and the Internet continues to fade away.

Have you tried Internet TV or streaming TV content via the web? Tell us about your experience!