How to Watch TV on a Wireless PC

You can turn your laptop into a TV with a USB TV tuner and Windows Media Center.

You can turn a wireless PC, such as a laptop, into your own personal television and DVR device by having Windows Media Center and purchasing a USB TV Tuner. The TV Tuner will capture the signal from your cable provider and run it through your laptop. Windows Media Center will allow you to watch the signals and even record programs.

Things You'll Need

• Windows Vista Home Premium
• Windows Media Center
• USB TV Tuner
• Coaxial cable

Instructions

1. Acquire a USB TV tuner. These devices can be found at various online retailers as well as several electronics outlets.

2. Insert the USB TV tuner into your laptop. Some USB TV tuners will come with an installation CD. Others may not. If yours does, insert the disc into your laptop's disc drive and follow the instructions for installation.

3. Connect one end of a coaxial cable to the cable outlet in your home. Connect the other end of the coaxial cable into the USB TV tuner.

4. Open Windows Media Center by clicking the "Start" button on your desktop and clicking the Windows Media Center icon in the Start Menu. If Windows Media Center does not appear, you can type "Windows Media Center" into the search bar, and it will appear.

5. Go to "Tasks">"Settings">"TV">"Set Up a TV Signal" in Windows Media Center. Allow the program to establish your TV signal.

6. Go to "TV and Movies">"Live TV," and choose a program you want to watch.

References

• Microsoft Windows: Understanding TV Singals and TV Tuners
• Microsoft: Windows Media Center Tuner
• Laptop Mag: How to Watch TV From Your Laptop "Plug in a TV Tuner"