When TV worlds collide

Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006 was a trying time for television fans across America and the world. Too many good programs were on at the same time.

Many dedicated TV viewers contend that Sunday offers the best TV lineup of the week. A relaxing evening in front of your 65-inch plasma can be a pleasant little sendoff back to the rat race for poor working stiffs like us.

Among the most committed viewers, sports fans come in two main varieties this time of year: baseball and football.

The former were interested in checking out the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the San Diego Padres in the fourth game of a best-of-five series. The latter found themselves glued to the Eagles vs. Cowboys contest with all of their energy, and looking forward to the Sunday night game, pitting the reigning champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the defensive strength of the San Diego Chargers.

If you just can’t choose

I received a frantic e-mail from a viewer with just such a problem. Recovering from an injury, she had been cooped up all weekend with football and baseball fans, and was looking forward to having her usual control of the remote on Sunday evening. Her targets were “Desperate Housewives” and “The Amazing Race” on network TV, with a sidebar of “Footballer’s Wives” on BBC America.

Normally this doesn’t present much of a problem. It is a two-TV household, usually enough to allow both members of the family to view what they like. As in many homes, it is an unspoken Sunday TV rule that the main screen be dedicated to sports during the afternoon, with control ceded to prime-time programming later in the evening.

But this Sunday was a big problem. Football was running late. Baseball, normally pushed onto the back burner with the advent of the NFL, was back in the front row for the playoffs. “The Amazing Race” was in the middle of a new season with plenty of action coming up and the “Desperate Housewives” were sure to do something lurid and evil, not to be missed.

How to catch all the action

My loyal reader asked for advice on how to catch everything. She had not yet acquired a personal video recorder to allow her the luxury of high-quality time shifting. Since the demise of VHS tape, her home entertainment system had not yet been fitted with a DVD recorder. The situation was looking bleak as the second half of the Eagles game started with the Birds trailing and her scrambling for an effective fix.

More than casually computer savvy, she had solutions in hand that worked for most weeks, knowing how to get the majority of her programming down and viewable. Her cable company helped with the first problem, getting her weekly dose of “Footballer’s Wives.”

A few BBC America programs have earned loyal viewers here in the States, and that steamy soap opera about life off the field in the world of big-time English soccer was clearly one of them. In response to repeated requests, her cable company did something smart.

“Footballer’s Wives” was now available almost immediately after broadcast via the On Demand function. Viewers who possess the requisite service, which includes a $15-per-month digital cable box, can access certain programming for free whenever they like.

In addition to the BBC America shows, a great deal of kiddie shows, particularly animation, as well as quality programming for adult viewers, are available at no extra charge just by pushing a button. With that in mind, the crisis lessened significantly.

“The Amazing Race” was the most important show on her Sunday night schedule, and she would do what was necessary to gain viewing rights on the main TV. That left “Housewives,” one of the most popular network offerings again this year.

Download shows at $1.95 a pop

The show’s large following did not go unnoticed by ABC or Apple. Working together, they have made episodes of many popular programs, including “Housewives,” available for download on their iTunes website. Being a video iPod user, my reader was set. She would gladly spend the $1.95 to download her episode, knowing that it would be available no later than tomorrow.

Viewers without an iPod can still watch the show simply by installing a free QuickTime viewer available on the Apple website. With a few clicks, you can gleefully download all of your favorite TV programs and music videos. Keep in mind that this can easily become an addiction which, at $1.95 per fix, can dig into the egg money quickly.

Free TV shows online

Fortunately, there is a free alternative. ABC makes episodes of its favorite programs available for free online viewing at http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing. The roster includes hits like “Lost,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Ugly Betty,” “The 9,” and of course, “Housewives.”

This is a remarkable resource for the online TV addict, but it is not without a downside. The programs can only be viewed on the computer. You cannot easily save content for later viewing, as you can with your TiVo. Still, as an alternative to missing the show entirely, this is good news.

Other networks have taken notice as well. NBC is also offering programs on iTunes. Its selection includes favorites like “The Tonight Show,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Apprentice,” “Law and Order,” “Scrubs” and “The Office,” along with some older programming.

Fox TV is taking a different tack, having crafted a six-year deal to allow affiliates to offer Internet programming. As the proud new owners of former free-form megasite MySpace, News Corp. will be offering episodes of the Fox hit “24” for online purchase. Like most sellouts, it looks like MySpace founders Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe will be shopping for suits.

This Information Age array of legal viewing alternatives solved my friend’s problem. As things turned out, she watched “The Amazing Race” live, caught “Footballer’s Wives” via On Demand, and enjoyed “Desperate Housewives” on her iPod. She even got to hear an impromptu play-by-play of the thrilling Eagles victory from the other room. Her total cost was $1.95, plus $11 for a pizza. Everybody wins.

Expect new viewing opportunities to proliferate in the next few years, and get ready to add storage space to your television as well as your computer. Just remember where you heard about it first -- some guy talking about one wire bringing all of your voice and data content into the home. That does sound familiar, doesn’t it? The Information Age is a good thing, letting you catch all of your favorite shows without ever touching a videotape.

How do you watch TV? With all the changes in contemporary viewing habits, I’m bound to have missed something. Let me know what you do when three great shows are on at the same time.

As always, reach me by e-mail to Granese(atjuno.com all year round.