Busy working carers often do not have the time to catch up with their favourite TV shows at normal viewing times.

So often they miss out because they simply don’t have time at the end of the working day to enjoy the luxury of sitting down and relaxing. When their paid work finishes, their unpaid work begins.

So it is great news that you can now watch ABC television on your computer at the time which suits you – so long as you have an Internet connection.

ABC iView is designed for high-speed broadband users – so don’t even think of trying to get on and watch TV with a slow dial-up modem, or it will drive you mad. But, if you have a high-speed Internet connection, you can watch a range of programs for free.

Be aware that if you are on a download quota, it may use up all of your available monthly bandwidth, unless you are on an ‘unlimited downloads’ plan. A normal show, of around 30 minutes, is a downlaod of 150Mb. So you can calculate your usage fairly easily.

There is an online ‘test’ that can tell you the speed at which your Internet connection can stream video.

Go to the ABC iView home page http://www.abc.net.au/iview/

At the top of the home page there are a number of headings, which, when you click on them, offer a drop-down menu. Under the heading ‘Bandwidth’ you will be able to check the speed of your Internet connection, which will give you a good guide as to whether you can sensibly watch TV on your computer.

Provided that you have a relatively new computer, and a fast connection, you should have no trouble. The ABC recommends 1.1Mbps for optimal viewing. A fast connection may deliver even better speeds at around 5.7 Mbps.

You can watch programs like the Vancouver Paralympic Games, which run from Sunday 13 – Monday 22 March.

You can also watch selected drama, comedy, sport, documentary, news and current affairs programs from ABC1 ABC2 and ABC3.

Across the top of the screen on the home page, go to the ‘All programs’ tab, which will give you a drop-down menu of all the offerings. Then, if you choose ABC1, you will see there are many programs from which to choose like At the Movies with Margaret and David, Lateline, The New Inventors, The 7.30 Report and Lateline Business. ABC2’s offerings include Poh’s Kitchen, The Rat Pack, Eataholics and Artscape, while ABC3 offers series like Lizzie McGuire and The Tribe, and children’s programs like Gawayn, 6Teen and Prank Patrol International.

Other program offerings include – The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Media Watch, documentaries like Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Monty Python: almost the truth; Ancient Megastructures, (which looks at the breathtaking engineering and organisation behind Egypt’s great pyramid of Khufu);and iView exclusives like: Gulpilil: One Red Blood; The iceberg that sank the Titanic; and Dynasties: from Macarthur to Murdoch.