If you like to keep up with all your favourite programmes, you don’t have to worry about missing that crucial episode while you’re out socialising or away on holidays. You can forget about being a slave to the scheduling to see the latest instalment of Coronation St, Eastenders, the Nine O’Clock News or Big Brother.

Even if you had meant to get home in time but got delayed, so what? You forgot to set the video or DVD recorder, the Sky+ or Chorus NTL’s Digital+ recorder – so what?

Log on
Worry no more; you don’t even need to be home for the omnibus at the weekend. The internet can come to your rescue.

You can watch some of RTÉ’s shows through RTE.ie for a few weeks after their original airing date. TV3 also allows you to watch selected shows online through TV3.ie for up to seven days after the original television airing. TG4 beo/TG4 live, which is accessible through tg4.tv, allows people to watch live television and programmes up to 35 days from the original transmission date.

These ‘click and play’ services allow internet users to log on to the station’s website, go to the player/catch-up link, sift through the categories of available programmes and click on the one they want to watch. You can watch it there and then on your computer screen or on your television if you have linked your computer to the TV. This type of viewing is called ‘streaming’ and is synonymous with how people watch YouTube videos – there’s no downloading required; you just watch it there and then.

When it comes to non-Irish channels, the BBC’s iPlayer is not accessible from the Republic of Ireland. Likewise, ABC, a US network that churns out many of the popular dramas, only airs episodes online to US viewers.

A recent loss for Irish viewers is Channel 4's 4oD service, whereby viewers in the UK and Ireland could watch programmes on an application downloaded to their PC. The desktop application was closed down in early July, 2009 in favour of streaming programmes directly through Channel4.com. Channel 4's press office explained to SilverCircle.ie that this is because: "Rights agreements mean that our 4oD service (which is an online player, http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od) is only available in the UK sadly, so is not accessible from the ROI."

Archive footage
On the other hand, UTV’s uPlayer is a 30-day catch-up option for Ireland-based television fans who haven’t made it to the sofa on time. Its UTV Archive is of particular interest, with available footage dating back to the 1960s, including an interview with the Beatles on an Irish country road.

Sky also allows people to watch television through Sky.com, with varying viewing and payment options available, depending on whether you already have a Sky subscription. Registration is required for this service.

Getting started
Watching television through any of the above online services is legal and free. If you can’t get it to work, you may need to look at the service’s system requirements. If this isn’t your forte, ask a more tech-savvy friend or family member to do it for you – you may need a newer version of a browser or to download a media player.

If you’re curious about connecting your PC to your TV, a guide that shows you how to do this can be viewed on http://www.channel4.com/4od/how2use4od.html. Just remember that watching television through the internet doesn’t mean you can escape a TV licence.