How to Watch Cable on a Computer Monitor

Coaxial cable connects computers to a cable signal.

Watching cable on your computer can allow you stay connected to television while you are using your computer. You will also be able to record shows onto the hard drive and burn them onto a disk or extract clips from them in a video editor. You have the choice of buying an internal or external TV tuner card, and many cards come with remote controls to adjust the volume and change channels. Some TV tuner cards also receive FM radio and accept composite and S-Video input.

Things You'll Need

• TV tuner card
• Coaxial cable
• HDCP-compliant monitor with at least 720p resolution
• HDMI cable
• HDMI-to-DVI adapter

Instructions

Tuner Card

1. Unplug your computer and lift it onto a table. Open the side panel and insert the TV tuner card into a PCI slot. Simply plug in a USB interface without opening the computer.

2. Screw the end of your coaxial cable connection to the input of your tuner card. Insert the install disk in the CD drive and run the setup program. Click "Next" until the software is installed.

3. Run the software from the Start menu or the desktop icon. Answer the questions it asks about your location and the type of cable input. Wait for the software to scan your cable for channels.

4. Watch, record and time-shift cable in the software window. Re-size the picture from the corner of the frame to play in the background if you want to perform other tasks while watching TV.

HDCP-Compliant Monitor Without Computer

1. Read the manual of your TV set-top box to find out how to change the resolution to 720p or to the resolution of your monitor. Set the correct resolution before disconnecting your TV.

2. Plug the HDMI-to-DVI adapter into your monitor, and plug the HDMI cable into the adapter. Plug the other end of the cable into your set-top box.

3. Turn on your set-top box and watch television as you would normally. If the picture is not showing up, your monitor may not be HDCP-compliant, or the resolution may be incorrect.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the computer interface option for more compatibility with monitors. Using this option will also allow you to record audio and video from other sources, such as VCRs, camcorders and DVD players.

• Some tuner cards come with software features for removing commercials. Other options include video-encoding for authoring DVDs that will play in home DVD players.

References

• PC World: TV Tuners for Your PC