Watch HDTV On Your Computer

By Dorothy Grant

Have you ever considered using you PC to watch HD TV, well it couldn?t be more easy. In order to watch HDTV on your computer then you most choose one of two methods. You could either opt to watch TV over the internet by using one or more of the many websites that provide TV services. Alternatively you could buy a PC TV tuner and effective transform your PC into a television.

To turn you computer into a television you will required to spend some money on hardware. You will need a PC TV tuner card, they can either come with USB or PCI interfaces. You can use the PCI version with a desktop PC, the USB versions can be used with a laptop or desktop (as long as you have a free USB port). The adaptor is used to decode the TV signal and display it on you desktop or notebook.

Both type of HDTV adaptors come with many different features, not only do they allow you to watch television broadcasts on your PC they have features such as, radio stations, video and audio capture and live pause. Most types come with software which will have to be installed.

Some have a ?built in? aerial, or for a better reception can plugged into your TV aerial, cable or satellite systems. Which ever method you use you will then have to ?tune? the adaptor to discover the TV stations that are available. Once done then all you need to do is use the viewing software to watch the channels on your computer.

They are inexpensive devices and can be purchased for less than $50. They can be purchased from online retailers, with a multitude of choice from manufacturers such as Pinnacle, ATI, WinTV and Diamond. If you specifically want to watch HD TV, then make sure the adaptor you purchase is high definition TV capable.

Your second option for watching HD TV online is by watching television broadcast which are streamed over the internet by various providers. These providers take the TV channels and stream the data over the internet which your computer can display using a software viewer.

The benefits of this are that if you already have a suitable computer and internet connection then there is no extra investment in hardware required. You don?t need a super computer or a mega fast internet connection (2mb connection and above should be fine).

If you do a quick search on Google for ?watch HDTV online? you should be provided with a host of results for providers of internet TV. You will have to research which is the best for you. Are you prepared to pay for a service? If so the quality of pictures and number of channels available will be better. There are however sites which are totally free to use.

The advantages of watching HDTV online is that firstly you don?t need to buy an expensive HDTV and receiver and it is cheaper than subscribing to a satellite or cable TV company. The other thing is that it is mobile, wherever you have an internet connection you can watch HDTV online. - 32388

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