How to Watch TV on your computer

Watch TV on a Computer Monitor

Learn how to watch television on your computer screen! The same television shows and movies you are currently watching on your TV.

Things You'll Need

• TV
• PC
• TV Tuner card (optional)
• Internet connection (optional)
• DVD player (optional)

Instructions

1. 

   Buy a PC TV TUNER. These are most often PCI devices. If you know what a PCI device is then this will be a breeze, if not you can still do it easily. A PCI device is shown in the picture here, they connect inside your computer. Chances are you already have a device using a PCI slot, look in the rear side of your computer case and try to find a modem / vga monitor/ sound ports etc using a PCI slot. Most computers come with an empty slot also. If you are not comfortable with installing a PCI device, simply buy a USB TV Tuner online. USB Tuners will work just as well as PCI Tuners.

2. If you decide to go with the USB or PCI TV TUNER, which you can buy online for about $40 to $100, skip this step and go to step 3. If you would rather use an USB device which is easier to hook up, you can also find these online for a bargain. Plug the PCI or USB TV Tuner device into your computers USB or PCI port. Insert the CD that came with your tuner, and click "autorun" (XP or Vista). If an autorun option does not appear you can still install the drivers from the CD manually. Go to the Start menu, Right click "My computer", select manage from the drop down list. After clicking manage, choose "device manager" on the right hand side. In Device manager you will see a yellow icon next to your new TV tuning device. Right click the device and choose "update drivers". In the driver update box locate the CD drive and install the driver.

3. After hooking up and installing the hardware and software for your new TV tuner, you are ready to plug your cable into the tuner. It is the same cable that your TV is currently using. You can also plug a VCR's cable into this tuner device to watch VHS movies on your PC, and usually a DVD player to watch DVD movies on your computer. Your tuner probably came with a program to watch TV, but if not you can download one online for free.

4. If you don't want to purchase a TV Tuner device, you can still catch your favorite new shows online. Simply check one of the popular websites that host new shows, by searching the title of your show in google. There are many legit places to watch TV online and most of them are in the first pages of results in a google search.

5. If you don't have the internet, or cable TV in your house, you can still watch movies on your computer. You can buy a DVD player for a computer and get some free playback or DVD Decoding software at no cost from a variety of places.

6. You are now ready to watch TV on your PC. This is very helpfull for many reasons, it is also more efficient because it eliminates the need for a TV in some cases.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy a TV tuner with a remote control for easy viewing.

• Unplug your computer before installing a PCI device.