CanIStream.It is a pretty self-explanatory service. It literally answers its title question. CanIStream.It is a web application that allows users to easily find out whether one of the popular online streaming services is currently streaming a given movie or TV show.

Once a user has created their account with CanIStream.It, they simply type the movie or TV show they wish to see in the search bar, then select whether they are looking for "Streaming", "Rental", "Purchase", or "DVD/Blu-ray" versions of the film. If the show or movie they searched for is available, it will display which site it's at. If it's not available, users can request to be notified when it does become available.

The movie and television industries have taken some serious hits from the internet community, particularly with pirated content. The internet has made it incredibly easy for anyone around the world with a legitimate copy of media content to rip the information and post it online. Some people consider internet piracy as sharing information and art with the world, while others, particularly those who invested big dollars into creating the content, view piracy as stealing. Streaming content is a great way to provide an inexpensive alternative to pirating, where consumers can access their favorite shows and movies cheaply, without feeling like they're stealing.

Unfortunately, contract discrepancies and other issues in the film and TV industries have limited the amount of streaming content online. Some of the content is available for free at Hulu.com, but most is reserved for premium subscribers with services like Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime and Netflix. Even so, with subscription prices as low as $9.99 a month, many show and movie creators are not offering their content to streaming services, and seem to be holding out for DVD sales.

Traditionally, it has been fairly easy to keep track of when a movie or TV show becomes available in theaters or DVD.There was only a couple of dates to keep track of; when the content originally aired on TV or showed in theaters and when you could buy it on DVD. Finding out when and where you can access streaming content is a bit more tricky. That is where CanIStream.It comes into play.

With online streaming, there are too many variables to keep track of. For example, some TV shows are available to stream within a day or so of airing, while others wait for the DVDs to come out before offering a streaming version. When you consider all of the movies and TV content that came out before streaming was invented, there's a whole new monkey wrench thrown into the equation.

Instead of having to search each of these streaming services individually for a certain movie, users can visit CanIStream.It for a fast, simple answer. The service automatically searches Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime for the streaming content. CanIStream.It also searches iTunes and Amazon OnDemand. This way, if the content isn't available to stream, users have the option to rent or buy it and still watch with the click of a button.