It's an exciting—and confusing—time for watching TV online. The big broadcast networks have finally embraced streaming video and digital downloads, and they're trying all kinds of strategies to get you to tune in, including free (but commercial-laden) Web-based video and for-pay downloads over iTunes and Amazon. Cool beans: but how you go about getting your dose of "24," "Survivor," or "Ugly Betty" can vary wildly—and in some cases, depending on your platform or player, you may be be able to get your favorite show the way you want it. I've rounded up the big five commercial broadcast networks and (quickly) summarized their main online offerings, and I've even issued them grades for performance. (Note: I'm not covering Net-connected download services like the Xbox Video Marketplace in this roundup—just Web/PC video.) So, then, how do you go about getting "NCIS" on your portable player? And which network comes out on top? Read on...

ABC: The Alphabet network (as it's called in the trades) has the hands-down best streaming player on the Web, and it's the only network that offers HD versions of its shows; however, despite ABC's close ties with iTunes (Steve Jobs sits on the Disney board, which owns ABC), its downloadable offerings are the weakest of the bunch.
Streaming (Windows and Mac): Available on AOL.com and ABC.com, the ABC video player is top-notch, with sharp and smooth video, and a handful of shows are available in 720p HD (although you'll need a big broadband pipe to get the best picture). You will have to endure some ads, however: typically about three to four 30-second commercials per hour. Shows include: "Pushing Daisies," "Private Practice," "Dirty Sexy Money," "Lost," "Dancing with the Stars," "Cavemen," "Carpoolers," "The Bachelor," "Desperate Housewives," "Brothers and Sisters," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Big Shots," "Ugly Betty," "Grey's Anatomy," "Men in Trees"; HD shows include: "Ugly Betty," "Grey's Anatomy," "Pushing Daisies," "Private Practice," "Dirty Sexy Money" (and I expect "Lost" will appear once the season premiere airs). Great stuff all around (and worth sitting through some ads for). Grade: A+
  • Downloads (Windows and Mac): You can only download ABC shows from iTunes (not counting a pair of dusty old "The Nine" episoeds on Amazon)—fine if you happen to be an iPod/Apple TV aficionado, but a bummer for those with Windows-friendly portable players or set-top boxes. (At least iTunes works on both Windows and Mac systems.) Anyway, shows are $1.99 each (standard for iTunes), and season passes are available. While ABC was (unsurprisingly) the first network to sell its shows on iTunes, its selection is anemic compared to the rest. Shows include: "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Ugly Betty"—yep, that's it—plus some cancelled series, such as "Night Stalker," "Commander-in-Chief," "Alias," and "The Nine." Grade: C
  • Final grade: ABC gets a lot of points for its awesome streaming player, but its dearth of digital downloads is pretty disappointing. B+

    • CBS: Known as the network for the, uh, "mature" crowd, CBS actually has some of the most diverse online video options of all the networks. Choose your poison: streaming on the Web, the P2P Joost application, iTunes, or Amazon Unbox—so whether you're an iPodder or a Zune fan, you're covered.
    Streaming: Windows and Mac users have a couple of options for streaming CBS shows. First, you can go to CBS's Innertube-powered site and watch most of its shows directly over the Web; again, though, you'll have to sit through about four commercial breaks (each about 30 seconds), and video quality is relatively murky and choppy compared to ABC's video site. Also, you can download Joost, a free peer-to-peer streaming video app; you won't get as many shows as you will on the Web, but the video quality is a bit better, and there are fewer ads. Web shows include: "Amazing Race: All Stars," "Armed & Famous," "Big Bang Theory," "Big Brother," "Cane," "The Class," "Close to Home," "Cold Case," "Criminal Minds," CSI (all of them), "Ghost Whisperer," "How I Met Your Mother," "Jericho," "Kid Nation," "King of Queens," "Moonlight," "NCIS," "New Adventures of Old Christine," "Numb3rs," "Rules of Engagement," "Shark," "Survivor," "Two and a Half Men," "The Unit," "Without a Trace." Joost shows include: "Kid Nation," "The Unit," "How I Met Your Mother," "Late Show with David Letterman," "Cane," CSI shows (all of them), "Big Bang Theory," "Shark," "Moonlight," "NCIS," "Rules of Engadgement." Grade: A-
  • Downloads (Windows and Mac): Again, CBS has a nice collection of shows on both Amazon Unbox and iTunes, great for iPod users, PlaysForSure-compatible players and TiVo boxes (episodes usually go for $1.99 each). The selection is similar on both services, including: "3lbs" (now cancelled), "Big Bang Theory," the CSI shows, "NCIS," "Jericho," "Kid Nation," "Survivor," "The Unit," "How I Met Your Mother," "Shark," "Rules of Engagement," "Big Brother," "Moonlight," and "Numb3rs." Grade: B+
  • Final grade: CBS may lack ABC's top-notch streaming video player, but it offers loads of options—and shows—for online and digital-downloading viewers. A-

    • Fox: Like CBS, Fox has kept its options open as far as streaming and downloading options go; Windows or Mac, iTunes or no, you're good to go for streaming and downloading.
    Streaming (Windows and Mac): On-the-Web streaming for the major Fox shows comes courtesy of Fox on Demand, and while video quality falls short of the stellar ABC player, it’s a step up from CBS. As usual, you'll have to deal with ads: about four commercial breaks per show, 30 seconds each. Fox also has Hulu on tap—an as-yet-unlauched streaming video site (NBC is a reported partner in the project). Anyway, Fox-on-Demand shows include: "Till Death," "24," "American Dad," "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader," "Back to You," "Bones," "Family Guy," "K-Ville," "King of the Hill," "Kitchen Nightmares," "MadTV," "Nashville," "Prison Break," and "The Simpsons" (and I'd expect "American Idol" once it premieres in January 2008). "House," strangely enough, is missing from the list. Grade: B+
  • Downloads (Windows and Mac): Fox is sticking with both iTunes and Amazon Unbox for now; most episodes are $1.99, and Fox has also released several season-premiere episodes for free. As with CBS, the iTunes and Amazon offerings are pretty similar; both include "Prison Break," "24," "American Dad," that "5th Grader" show, "Bones," "House," "Back to You," "K-Ville," "King of the Hill," and "Kitchen Nightmares"—no "Simpsons," though. Grade: B+
  • Final grade: Fox isn't dabbling in pioneering applications as CBS is with Joost, and its streaming video quality is well short of ABC's; still kudos for staying with both iTunes and Amazon (for now). B+

    • NBC: The Peacock network is making a lot of noise in the online-video arena. First it announced that it was going in with Fox on Hulu, an upcoming streaming video site; then it broke ties with iTunes and jumped to Amazon Unbox. Recently, the network made news with NBC Direct, a Windows-only download site that'll be free (launch is slated for later this month), but will come with strings attached.
    Streaming (Windows and Mac): NBC has a few pokers in the fire when it comes to streaming video; the aforementioned Hulu (which has yet to debut), plus NBC Video Rewind, which offers about a dozen shows. Episodes come with much-watch ads, naturally, and video quality is decent, although the full-screen mode doesn't quite manage to fill the screen. Shows include: "30 Rock," "Bionic Woman,' "Chuck," "Friday Night Lights," "Heroes," "Journeyman," "Las Vegas," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "Life," "The Office," and "My Name is Earl." Grade: B
  • Downloads (Windows only): NBC is the only network in the roundup that doesn't offer downloads for Mac users (old seasons of NBC shows are slated to be wiped off iTunes soon, barring a last-minute agreement between the network and Apple; two non-NBC-produced shows are also on iTunes, for now). Shows (usually $1.99/episode) include: "30 Rock," "Bionic Woman," "Chuck," "Friday Night Lights," "Heroes," "Journeyman," "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: SVU," "Life," "My Name is Earl," and "The Office." Meanwhile, the upcoming NBC Direct is an interesting experiment in free (Windows-only) downloads, but it's marred by some incredibly annoying restrictions: you won't be able to transfer shows to a portable device or TV set-top box (at least not initially), episodes will "expire" seven days after broadcast, whether you've watched them or not, and you'll have to sit through commercials. Not cool. Grade:D+
  • Final grade: I give NBC credit for trying something different with NBC Direct, although the no-portable-player, no-TV, expiration-date restrictions are just plain bad; also, major demerits for shutting Mac (and iPod) users out of digital downloads. C

    • The CW: Like CBS and Fox, The CW plays it right down the middle; you get streaming shows online, plus downloads on iTunes and Amazon Unbox.
    Streaming (Windows and Mac): Streaming shows on The CW Video Hub are ad-supported, as you've probably come to expect (about five to six 30-second commercial breaks). Video quality is relatively sharp and smooth, but shows are displayed in the boxy, 4:3 aspect ration rather than in a wide 16:9 format. Shows include: "Gossip Girl," "America's Next Top Model," "Aliens in America," "Beauty and the Geek," "Supernatural," "Smallville," "Life is Wild," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Girlfriends," and "The Game." Grade: B
  • Downloads (Windows and Mac): The CW's download lineup is decidedly stronger on iTunes than it is on Amazon Unbox. For iTunes, you get: "America's Next Top Model," "Gossip Girl," "Veronica Mars," "One Tree Hill," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Girlfriends," "All of Us," and "Supernatural"; on Amazon, there's only "All of Us," "Gossip Girl," "One Tree Hill," "Supernatural," and "Veronica Mars." Grade: B
  • Final grade: Nothing earth-shattering here, and Amazon Unbox users aren't getting as many shows as their iTunes counterparts. Still, there's a little something for everyone. B


    • And the winners are...