How to Build a Computer for Watching Hulu on TV
Hulu is a website that streams the latest episodes of many popular TV shows. Using a PC to watch Hulu on your TV is a great alternative to cable or satellite television. Although Hulu can be a processor-intensive website to use, building a computer to stream it to your television can be done for less than $500. Not only will you be able to stream Hulu with your new home theater PC, but you can use it to stream movies, music and surf the web, as well.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Dual core processor
- Dedicated graphics card with compatible outputs
- Power supply (PSU)
- Mouse and keyboard (preferably wireless)
- Hard drive
- RAM (at least 2GB)
- Motherboard
- Operating system
- Enclosure
- Grounding wrist strap
- Optical drive
- Screwdriver
- Flashlight
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Building the PC
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1
Remove the siding from the case enclosure and attach the lead from your grounding wrist strap to any of the unpainted metal surfaces inside the case. Lay the case on its side.
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2
Line up the motherboard with the pre-installed brass standoffs inside of the case. If the standoffs are not pre-installed, line up the motherboard with the standoff holes inside the case itself and hand tighten each standoff in the appropriate hole. Place the motherboard on top of the standoffs and tighten each screw just until it tightens. Do not over-tighten the screws, as this may crack the motherboard.
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3
Install the PSU in the proper location inside the case. It will install either in the top or bottom of the case, depending on the model. Connect the 24-pin ATX connector and any auxiliary 12v connectors to the motherboard.
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4
Install the CPU and heatsink. Place the CPU into the motherboard's socket and click the retaining clips down around it. There will be a distinctive "click" when you've secured the CPU in place. Install the heatsink in the same fashion, this time pressing the heatsink's retaining clips downward onto the socket until you hear a "click." Attach the power lead from the heatsink's fan to the appropriate pin-header on the motherboard.
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5
Install the RAM into matching DIMM slots. Specific colors change between motherboard makes and models, but make sure your RAM is in matching-colored DIMM slots. They may be adjacent or they may be offset by other colors.
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6
Install the hard drive in the case's hard drive cage or mounts. Do not over-tighten the screws in the sides of the drive. Connect the hard drive via IDE or SATA. Connect the drive to the PSU with the appropriate connector: molex for IDE or an SATA power connector for SATA.
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7
Install the dedicated graphics card into the PCI-express port on the motherboard. Slide the card into the PCI-express port until the retaining clip slides over the PCB retaining clip and makes a "click." Connect the PSU to the appropriate port on the rear of the card.
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8
Slide the optical drive into an empty port on the front of the PC until it is flush with the front of the case. Tighten the screws into each side of the drive. Connect the drive to the motherboard via IDE or SATA. Connect the appropriate PSU connector to the rear of the drive.
Software and Television Setup
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1
Place the operating system disk in your optical drive and power on the computer. Follow the prompts to boot from CD and install your operating system.
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2
Once the operating system is installed, install the drivers from the CD that shipped with your motherboard. This will include your network adapter's drivers.
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3
Download the appropriate video drivers for your video card. Check the Resources section for links to the most popular manufacturer's websites. Once downloaded, double-click the driver's icon to begin the install process. Follow the prompts to finish the installation and reboot your computer.
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4
Connect your computer to your TV via the outputs on the video card. An HDMI connection would be ideal, as it carries both audio and video, however DVI and component connections are also common. You'll need to select the proper input on your television to see the computer's image output on your screen.
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5
Navigate your browser to www.hulu.com, select your programming, and click the "fullscreen" and "480p" buttons.
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1
Tips & Warnings
When choosing a case, make sure to choose a smaller case that will fit well with your current home theater setup.
