How to Watch Cable TV on a Laptop

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More and more, people are throwing their televisions out the window in favor of their laptop. Not only does a laptop free up space in your room, but also allows you to get all your entertainment needs out in place once you have it hooked up for cable television.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

TV tuner card
Cable to USB cable

Step1

Go to your local electronics or computer store and tell them you want to watch cable television on your computer. They will point to their selection of TV tuner cards. A TV tuner card is necessary to pull in cable signals and watch them on your computer.

Step2

Purchase a cable that connects to the cable outlet in your house and has another end that will plug into the USB port in your computer. This is not a common cable to have around the house but will be near the TV cards at the store.

Step3

Install the TV tuner card into your computer. Depending on your model this should be an easy step. Most laptop computers have a PCMCIA slot which you can insert the card directly. After that, install any programs that came with the card to make your computer compatible.

Step4

Screw the special computer wire you bought into the matching end for the cable television in your home. These will fit together just like a cable for a regular television would. Be sure not to bend the prong at the end of the cable.

Step5

Insert the USB end of the cable into the proper port that corresponds with the TV Tuner Card you have just installed in your computer. This will allow you to watch cable.

Step6

Boot your computer and start the software that comes with your TV tuner card. You are now able to watch cable TV on a laptop computer. Most TV tuner cards come with remote controls that allow you to point the control at an infrared receiver that you mount on your laptop to change the channels. If the TV tuner does not come with a remote, the software that comes with it will allow you to change the channels by using your up and down arrow keys or by typing in the channel numbers you wish to view.