One of the best things about the Internet is the availability of television content. A few years ago, it was possible to download complete episodes from the different networks. However, you would have to wait for a few days in order for that episode to be available on the website. If you've ever asked yourself about streaming TV on my PC, there is a simple way to go about it.


Before going through the process, make sure that your computer is powerful enough to handle the content. Many new users overestimate the capability of their PCs, and when they try to play certain television programs, they find the playback to be choppy or sluggish. They end up blaming their Internet connection when it's their PC that has the problem. For most online content, a computer with a processor of two gigahertz will do. Add in some RAM at about two gigabytes and you should be fine. It wouldn't hurt to put in some free memory on your hard disk for long episodes.


If it's not your computer, it's probably your Internet connection that's the problem. If you have a dial up connection, consider upgrading. An old dial up is still okay for other Internet uses such as social networking and emailing. However, it will not be able to carry the load of constant content from online television programming.


Opt to get a DSL connection instead. You won't need to install any new hardware. Instead, you will be using your old copper phone lines. Despite the old hardware, you will be able to download at speeds of up to three megabits per second. That's more than enough to stream even the highest quality programming.


If you are sure that you have the hardware and connection that you need, you can then log on to the website to find the streaming content that you want. While most of the popular channels will be available, there may be some other channels that won't appear. These special channels may be unfortunately restricted depending on your location.


You shouldn't have a problem when you watch on your first try. However, if you find some issues with the playback, there are a few tricks you can do to alleviate the situation. First of all, make sure that you aren't using up your bandwidth. If you have any parallel downloads, try to cancel them or at least cap their downloading speed. You may also try to refresh the browser of the website. There may be times when the site is being viewed by too many users, so make sure that you are watching during a relatively quiet time.


Normally, you should be able to view the content directly from the site. In some cases however, the website may ask you to download a special viewer. Be careful about downloading any other content from other sites; all of the software you have must be free of any viruses.