How to Watch TV on a Mac

You can watch television on your Mac by downloading episodes using iTunes software or websites that let you stream TV shows for free. Also, Elegato has a product called EyeTV, which lets you view television programs directly through your Mac. It works by adding a USB connection to your computer, essentially acting like a digital antenna.

Things You'll Need

• EyeTV attachment (optional)
• EyeTV software (optional)
• Rabbit ears antenna (optional)
• Coaxial cable (optional)

Instructions

EyeTV

1. Turn on your Mac and place the EyeTV software disc in the disc drive. When it boots up, click and drag the EyeTV application to the applications folder on your hard drive and wait for it to install.

2. Connect the EyeTV attachment to your computer's USB drive.

3. Attach a coaxial cable to the free end of the EyeTV attachment and the other end to a "rabbit ears" antenna. Or connect it to the coaxial output jack on your cable or satellite box.

4. Open up the EyeTV software on the Mac and select the "File" menu. Find the "Open Live TV Window" option and click on it. A window should appear on your Mac's screen showing a television image.

5. Use the EyeTV on-screen controller to switch between different channels until you find a show you want to watch.

Websites

1. Turn on your Mac and access the Internet using Safari, Firefox or similar web browsers.

2. Search for a website that lets you view television episodes. Hulu is a popular site, as is TV.com. Also, check the home page for whichever channels carry the TV shows you want. These sites often have previously viewed episodes available for free.

3. Find the list of available shows and click on the show you want. The exact method varies by website, but they all should have a fairly prominent list of shows. When you click on a given show, you'll be shown a list of individual episodes. Click on the one you wish to view; it should begin streaming on your screen automatically.

iTunes

1. Turn on your Mac and activate iTunes software. When it comes up, click on the "iTunes Store" option, which can be found in the column on the left-hand side of the iTunes window.

2. Find the "TV Show" tag to browse for TV shows or type the name of the TV show into the search engine in the upper right-hand side of the iTunes window. Click on the name of the show you want to watch; a list of available episodes should appear.

3. Click on the episode you want, then click on the "Buy" button to purchase it. The button includes the price iTunes will charge to your credit card when you make the purchase.

4. Wait for the episode to download, then click the "TV Shows" file on the left-hand column of your iTunes window. You should see the downloaded episode there.

5. Highlight the episode and push the "Play" button in the upper left-hand corner of the iTunes window.

Tips & Warnings

• While all three of these methods allow you to watch TV, only EyeTV lets you watch live programs on your Mac. The other two methods work only for shows that have already been broadcast.

• TV shows downloaded to your Mac are still copyrighted, and they may not be sold or passed on to others. If you do, you're in violation of copyright laws.

References

• MacInstruct: Using iTunes

Resources

• Elgato: EyeTv