OBAMA MCAIN FANS - TURN YOUR PC INTO A TV
Peterson Evans
October 23, 2008
It's a lifestyle slogan for the new century: A chicken in every pot, a car in every garage, and a PC in every room. And now, the rules about watching television have just changed. You can now watch your favorite TV shows on your pc and you donīt even need a high-end pc to do so. So what does it take, really, to get an old PC to transform into a multifunction tv set? Not that much. Here's what you'll need:
A decent PC with at least a fast Pentium III processor (above 500 MHz) and at least 10GB or so of free hard-drive space (you'll want more storage room if you plan to record your favorite shows, too).
A way to get a TV signal into your computer. This could be a graphics card with a TV tuner attached or a dedicated PCI tuner card or USB-based tuner box (the latter is a notebook user's only option).
Software for controlling the TV tuner hardware (changing channels, volume, and so on) and managing video input and output. Most tuner cards come with the basic apps you'll need.
For watching DVD movies on your PC, you'll need to purchase player software specifically designed to display DVD video content. Of course, your PC will need a DVD drive.
Here are the steps in turning your pc into a tv:
The first thing you need to do is to find a way to get that TV signal into your PC. Unfortunately, most PCs lack the hardware to do this. The best way to pipe TV into your computer is by installing an extension card (mostly through your motherboards PCI/AGP slot), but there are other approaches as well.
Here are the three main options you can choose from to turn your PC into a TV.
A combination graphics/TV tuner card: These boards replace the graphics card already in your PC if you have one. Most PCs with integrated graphics don't have a separate graphics card, or even an AGP slot. (Note: An AGP card is better than a PCI card.) Products include the ATI All-in-Wonder line ($140 to $400, depending on model), or the NVidia Personal Cinema platform (the MSI FX5200 Personal Cinema costs about $160). A dedicated TV tuner card: The Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-250 ($135) is a PCI card with a TV tuner and ports. Install the card into your PC alongside your existing (AGP) graphics card, and you're ready to tune in and turn on. An external TV tuner box: The Hauppage WinTV-USB ($80) plugs into a USB port to pipe video into your PC. There's no fussing with the innards of your PC, but the slow USB connection limits you to low video resolution and frame rates. This is affordable and useful for laptops, but it's a less-than-ideal option.
Whether you go with a combo card or a PCI-based TV tuner board, make sure you consider products with a remote control. Otherwise you'll have to walk over to the PC's keyboard to change channels and adjust the volume. The process of getting hooked up is similar. You install the new board, and then follow the product directions for loading drivers and software--some combo cards also include a cable that connects directly to your sound card to enable audio. In all cases, you'll see that the tuner card has a round, silver coaxial port sticking out the back. Just screw the coax TV cable running from your wall into this port, and then fire up the bundled viewing software.
All TV tuner cards come with bundled software that lets you do things like change channels, adjust volume, and record video to your hard drive. To launch the TV viewing software, find the new application in the Windows Start Menu and click the appropriate icon. You'll see a window with the TV display appear on the monitor. A smaller control interface window will typically appear below this window.
The first time you start, you'll need to configure its settings. The software will likely prompt you to have the card click through all 125 of its channels so it can detect which channels produce a signal. You may also be asked to identify your cable service provider and confirm audio settings.
This software also performs TiVo-like "time shifting," so you can pause the action on screen even as the computer records the incoming video feed. When you start the action again, the software displays the recorded content from the point you left off, even as it continues to record in real time in the background. Now you can take that phone call without missing portions of your favorite show.
Third-party software like BeyondTV 3 from SnapStream can do the same things. This application offers a nicely polished interface and a few additional features. For example, it lets you stream recorded shows over a network, so any connected PC can access the shows you record on your Beyond TV 3-equipped computer. Beyond TV 3's extra features will cost you, though: At $70, the packaged version of the software is no bargain (a download-only version costs $60).
After doing these steps, you are now geared in watching and recording your favorite TV shows on your pc - like the one here
Over 2500 Channels
Watch your favorite TV series, news, sports, movies, comedy, religious, and adult content anytime you want, anywhere you have an internet connection, right from you own Desktop or Notebook computer. No additional equipment needed. Get Instant Access - HERE
A decent PC with at least a fast Pentium III processor (above 500 MHz) and at least 10GB or so of free hard-drive space (you'll want more storage room if you plan to record your favorite shows, too).
A way to get a TV signal into your computer. This could be a graphics card with a TV tuner attached or a dedicated PCI tuner card or USB-based tuner box (the latter is a notebook user's only option).
Software for controlling the TV tuner hardware (changing channels, volume, and so on) and managing video input and output. Most tuner cards come with the basic apps you'll need.
For watching DVD movies on your PC, you'll need to purchase player software specifically designed to display DVD video content. Of course, your PC will need a DVD drive.
Here are the steps in turning your pc into a tv:
The first thing you need to do is to find a way to get that TV signal into your PC. Unfortunately, most PCs lack the hardware to do this. The best way to pipe TV into your computer is by installing an extension card (mostly through your motherboards PCI/AGP slot), but there are other approaches as well.
Here are the three main options you can choose from to turn your PC into a TV.
A combination graphics/TV tuner card: These boards replace the graphics card already in your PC if you have one. Most PCs with integrated graphics don't have a separate graphics card, or even an AGP slot. (Note: An AGP card is better than a PCI card.) Products include the ATI All-in-Wonder line ($140 to $400, depending on model), or the NVidia Personal Cinema platform (the MSI FX5200 Personal Cinema costs about $160). A dedicated TV tuner card: The Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-250 ($135) is a PCI card with a TV tuner and ports. Install the card into your PC alongside your existing (AGP) graphics card, and you're ready to tune in and turn on. An external TV tuner box: The Hauppage WinTV-USB ($80) plugs into a USB port to pipe video into your PC. There's no fussing with the innards of your PC, but the slow USB connection limits you to low video resolution and frame rates. This is affordable and useful for laptops, but it's a less-than-ideal option.
Whether you go with a combo card or a PCI-based TV tuner board, make sure you consider products with a remote control. Otherwise you'll have to walk over to the PC's keyboard to change channels and adjust the volume. The process of getting hooked up is similar. You install the new board, and then follow the product directions for loading drivers and software--some combo cards also include a cable that connects directly to your sound card to enable audio. In all cases, you'll see that the tuner card has a round, silver coaxial port sticking out the back. Just screw the coax TV cable running from your wall into this port, and then fire up the bundled viewing software.
All TV tuner cards come with bundled software that lets you do things like change channels, adjust volume, and record video to your hard drive. To launch the TV viewing software, find the new application in the Windows Start Menu and click the appropriate icon. You'll see a window with the TV display appear on the monitor. A smaller control interface window will typically appear below this window.
The first time you start, you'll need to configure its settings. The software will likely prompt you to have the card click through all 125 of its channels so it can detect which channels produce a signal. You may also be asked to identify your cable service provider and confirm audio settings.
This software also performs TiVo-like "time shifting," so you can pause the action on screen even as the computer records the incoming video feed. When you start the action again, the software displays the recorded content from the point you left off, even as it continues to record in real time in the background. Now you can take that phone call without missing portions of your favorite show.
Third-party software like BeyondTV 3 from SnapStream can do the same things. This application offers a nicely polished interface and a few additional features. For example, it lets you stream recorded shows over a network, so any connected PC can access the shows you record on your Beyond TV 3-equipped computer. Beyond TV 3's extra features will cost you, though: At $70, the packaged version of the software is no bargain (a download-only version costs $60).
After doing these steps, you are now geared in watching and recording your favorite TV shows on your pc - like the one here
Over 2500 Channels
Watch your favorite TV series, news, sports, movies, comedy, religious, and adult content anytime you want, anywhere you have an internet connection, right from you own Desktop or Notebook computer. No additional equipment needed. Get Instant Access - HERE
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