HBO has raised the curtain on its venture into the world of streaming video with the debut of its HBO Go service.

Recognizing that the lines between television and computer are becoming more and more blurred, the cable giant has put together a website that lets its subscribers stream shows and movies to their computers for no additional charge. The service launched this week for Verizon FiOS customers, with support for other cable companies forthcoming. Once you log on and verify that you're a paying HBO customer, you can access the over 600 hours of television and dozens of movies the company has made available.

Initial impressions are mostly positive, noting a clean, well-designed Flash interface and good video quality. The major caveat is the limited selection of programming; you don't get access to HBO's entire back catalog (no Mind of The Married Man, for instance, but shows like The Wire have their complete runs available) and what you can access will change as HBO shuffles new programming into the deck and removes previously-available shows. Ultimately, it works like most On Demand systems, except now you're using your PC instead of the cable box.

If you've already got HBO and broadband, checking out HBO Go is a no-brainer. What it might not be, though, is a reason to sign up for HBO in the first place. What would be very interesting to see down the road is if HBO could offer web-only subscriptions to those who don't receive the channel over cable or satellite. There's no indication just yet that that's coming soon, but we can always dream.

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