Watch HDTV On Your Computer
10-09-09
Watching HD TV on your computer is easier than you might think. There are two ways to go about it. Your first option is either by the use of an adaptor that acts as a TV receiver to decode the signals and display them on your screen. The other method is by viewing TV broadcasts which are streamed over the internet.
To turn you computer into a television you will required to spend some money on hardware. You will need a PC TV tuner card, they can either come with USB or PCI interfaces. You can use the PCI version with a desktop PC, the USB versions can be used with a laptop or desktop (as long as you have a free USB port). The adaptor is used to decode the TV signal and display it on you desktop or notebook.
HDTV adaptors come in a multitude of shapes and sizes. They have different capabilities and features, the most important thing is to make sure they are capable for use with the TV signal that you will be using (ie satellite, cable, RF etc). Some have features which you may find useful like ? live pause, recording timer and radio tuning.
Some TV tuner adaptors have inbuilt aerials and/or a connector for an external aerial that comes supplied. For the best result you might want to check if the adaptor has the right type of connectors to connect to your satellite or set-top box if that?s your chosen method of viewing. They normally come with software to tune the adaptor into the TV channels and allow you to perform other functions like recording and pausing TV channels.
TV tuner adaptors do not cost much (you can pick them up for less than $60). They are readily available online from most computer retailers. Makers of HDTV tuners include Creative, Leadtek, ATI and Pinnacle. When choosing the adaptor be sure to choose one which is HD capable if you require to watch high definition broadcasts.
Your second option for watching HD TV online is by watching television broadcast which are streamed over the internet by various providers. These providers take the TV channels and stream the data over the internet which your computer can display using a software viewer.
The advantages of using this method to watch HDTV online are that if you are already on the internet then more than likely you have everything you need to watch TV online. You do not require a fast internet connection or high specification computer.
There are many options when it comes to watching TV online, there are many websites and providers of these services. Some are totally free, some involve and regular subscription fee and others a one off fee (which you usually involves downloading some software to view the broadcasts with). Obviously if you want better channels and better video quality then the paid services might be for you.
The advantages of watching HDTV online is that firstly you don?t need to buy an expensive HDTV and receiver and it is cheaper than subscribing to a satellite or cable TV company. The other thing is that it is mobile, wherever you have an internet connection you can watch HDTV online.
Tags: Video