(MONEY Magazine) – • WHAT IT IS Download TV shows, sports broadcasts and music videos for between 99¢ and a few bucks a pop to view on your PC screen.

• THE BUZZ Google's p.r. drumbeaters call it the first "open video marketplace"--just preview any video, log on, and buy. Others, like iTunes and Vongo, make you download software before you see a thing.

• THE TRUTH There's plenty to watch, and it's cheap. CBS is a big content partner, selling episodes of Star Trek: Voyager and The Brady Bunch for $1.99 each and renting one-day access to big hits like CSI for $1.99. Recent NBA games are $3.95. Picture quality is just a notch below a DVD's--even a fast-paced game won't make you dizzy--but sound quality is uneven. Macs, so far, are completely left out, and for now you can watch only on a Windows XP or Windows 2000 PC that's connected to the Internet--no in-flight viewing, no portable devices. Hope you've got a comfy office chair.

• BUZZWORTHY? [   ] Definitely [ x ] Sure [   ] Not yet [   ] Bad idea