Research Internet providers that provide fast download speeds. To watch Internet television you'll need something a bit faster than dial-up. You may even need an Internet that's faster than DSL. A slow Internet connection will make Internet TV freeze often.
Write down the cable shows you watch regularly and find out if those shows play on the Internet. You may have to visit the television station websites. Normally, they have archived and current episodes stored online. Go to websites such as ABC, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon On Demand or Hulu (see Resources) and put the name of your favorite shows in the search box. You can find HBO shows on iTunes, but you may have to pay a price for them.
Get a piece of hardware that's lets you display what's on your computer on your TV. You can watch Internet TV on your computer screen. However, if you want to download movies or TV shows to your computer and watch them on your TV screen, you'll need a piece of hardware. It's also useful if you want to watch streaming television on your TV screen. Roku (see Resources) is a box that connects your TV to your computer network and WD TV (see Resources) connects your TV to an external hard drive and allows you play downloaded TV shows or movies.