AK Tech Girl : No TV? No Problem!

AK Tech Girl

So much technology, so little time. As AK Tech Girl, I'll bring you frequent byte-sized pieces of technology to help make sense of all those whistles and widgets. How can blogs, Web applications and gadgets really help you in your work and home life? I'll show you how! Ask your burning Internet and gadget questions here - ask us about anything BUT your computer (see your computer guy for that one). This is your life on tech, made easier.

Image by Karen Larsen, used with permission.

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Aliza Sherman Risdahl

Aliza Sherman is an avid blogger, a freelance writer for national publications, and works as an Internet strategist for companies and nonprofits in Alaska and around the world. She is a resident of Second Life where she owns a virtual island, holds live events, and hosts a business television show. In her First Life here in Anchorage, she is married to a hunky wildlife biologist and is mom to their precocious 2-year-old daughter. (Photo by Clark Mishler, used with permission.)

No TV? No Problem!

Posted by techgirl

Posted: July 15, 2009 - 8:42 am

Hulu is a popular site for viewing television episodes

I don't get television in Tok. Not that I couldn't if I wanted to pay for a satellite dish, but I don't want the extra expense plus find not having television is good for the family. Still, I love well-produced TV shows with great characters and interesting plots. So what do I do?

To satisfy my entertainment cravings, I've been downloading television episodes from iTunes for $1.99 a show. My latest favorites are Saving Grace and Mad Men with a little Weeds on the side. I've recently decided to purchase entire seasons of shows I'm really enjoying, however, the downside is that I'm ending up with duplicates of the individual episodes I've already downloaded. Entire seasons of a show run between $19 to $25.

I'm also purchasing select shows for my 3-year-old. She currently loves Dora the Explorer, The Backyardigans, The Wonder Pets, and Ni Hao Kai Lan. She tends to favor watching TV shows on my iPhone while I'm watching mine on my Macbook with either external Sony speakers or my Logitech USB headset.

If forking up some cash for TV shows doesn't sound appealing, you can always turn to the Internet. Hulu is a very popular site that is growing at a phenomenal rate. The site carries many popular current television shows that you can play in their entirety for free. The downside of Hulu for me is that my DSL is too slow to handle the videos.

For a bit more eclectic television viewing fare, try Joost. And if you want to go totally offbeat and often off-color, check out actor Will Ferrell's Funny or Die site which features original video created for the Internet that will soon be seen on regular television.

And if you want to view your online TV shows, movies and photos on your HDTV, download Boxee to manage your entertainment content with a television and remote control.

There are many other ways to obtain and view TV shows without having to subscribe to cable or dish services. Have Internet? Get downloading!

How are you watching your favorite television shows when not in front of a TV?