Hulu has a deep selection of full-length TV programs, movies, and shorter clips.

In a world where everyone seems to be lusting after big screen TVs (oops, I'm begging to sound like that movie trailer announcer guy), it turns out that more and more people are actually watching TV on their computer screens.

An article in The New York Times earlier this week quoted a Nielsen Media Research study that found 25 percent of us have watched full-length TV episodes online in the last three months.

That's astonishing.

And now, online viewers have a brand-new option: Hulu.com from the parent companies of NBC and Fox.

Hulu launched Wednesday with full-length shows like "The Simpsons" and "The Office" along with TV classics like "Lost in Space" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

There's a smaller selection of 60 full-length movies, including "Ice Age" (for the kids) and "Sideways" (for their parents). Hulu requires a free login to access mature content.

In case you were wondering, yes there are commercials (and no, you can't skip through them).

The picture quality is generally quite watchable, and is clearly superior to clips on YouTube.

Like most Web video, Hulu looks better if you watch programs in a smaller window, but you do have the option to display content in nearly a full screen. Using my home computer on a Wi-Fi network, the image was not always fluid; there was some hesitation and jerkiness. It seemed to work better by pausing playback for a little while, then resuming; that lets the transmission buffer catch up.

While you're digesting all of this fresh streaming video, don't forget that you can already watch many of your favorite ABC shows online by going to WFAA.com and clicking on the ABC WATCH FULL EPISODES ONLINE link just under our logo.

Hulu may have "Lost in Space," but we've got "Lost" (not to mention "According to Jim," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Grey's Anatomy," "Oprah's Big Give" and "The Bachelor" on an easy-to-use carousel interface).

There is also a limited selection of "high definition" content. It seemed to require more computing power and/or bandwidth than I had available.

You will also find some "online exlcusives" that don't have a slot on the ABC network, like "Squeegees" — apparently a sitcom about window washers; there are five episodes available.

One of my all-time favorite TV shows is more of a cult classic that never appeared on any major TV network: Mystery Science Theater 3000.

In a nutshell, evil scientists force a human and two robots trapped on an orbiting spaceship to watch really bad movies; we get to eavesdrop on their joke-filled reactions.

MST3K sadly taped its last episode nearly a decade ago, but their spirit lives on — online.

"Mystery Science Theater 3000" head writer and featured performer Michael J. Nelson is behind RiffTrax, a clever endeavor that takes advantage of interactive technology to serve up comic commentaries for DVDs you already own (or can buy or rent).

The MST3K crew always focused on old movies, because, frankly, it was an extremely low-budget affair.

But RiffTrax can take aim at big-budget films like "Star Wars" and "Jurassic Park" because it is merely a supplement and not an integral part of the original product.

RiffTrax are sold as MP3 audio files; you just play them back as you watch the DVD (there's a simple synchronization scheme). There are RifftTrax available for more than 50 films, none priced more than $4.

There's even a free RiffTrax Player that makes synchronization easier if you want to watch a DVD on your computer screen.

You'll want to check out the free samples of RiffTrax content on their Web site or at its outpost on YouTube.

Finally! Seventy-one days after I applied for my free $40 digital TV converter box coupons from the government, I received them in the mail this week.

Next week on Computer Corner, we'll go out and get one of the boxes and show you how to hook it up.

Watch Computer Corner every week on News 8 Midday at noon (usually seen on Wednesdays), or online any time.

E-mail askwalt@wfaa.com