How to Watch Cable TV on Your Computer

There are various advantages of watching cable TV on your computer. One example is that you get the freedom of watching cable TV while your folks are watching regular TV. There are many ways you can watch cable TV on computer. Not every method is right for everyone so it is best to analyze the them all and then opt for one that suits you best.

Software to stream channels:

There are various software programs you can get that would enable your PC to stream cable channels live on your computer. In this case the most important thing is your internet connection and how fast it is. Your whole system would be dependent upon your internet speed and if it is slow then probably you won’t be able to watch cable TV on your computer. You can get some of these software programs for free online. In this method, you will not need a cable connection as you would be using the internet as your cable and would be watching live channels. However, this practice is not recommended because you would need to stream the channels every time you want to watch them.

PCTV cards:

Ever heard of a card known as PCTV? If you haven’t then you should know that these cards are used for connecting cable or dish TV to your computer. Basically there are two types of PCTV card; external ones and internal ones. In most of the cases, the internal ones are recommended but if you have a laptop or a computer that is already overloaded with graphics cards and sounds cards then you might want to opt for an external one. The external one connects through the USB drive. Once this card is installed the next thing is to simply plug-in your cable TV into this card and it would let you watch cable TV on your computer.

Other devices:

Your options are not limited to the above ones. There are some other devices as well that let your watch cable TV on your computer. One such device is known as a TV connector. It doesn’t actually show cable TV on your computer but uses your monitor or laptop screen as a TV. In such a case, you can either watch the TV or use the computer. However, you can always switch to the computer mode from the TV mode when you like. Such devices do not need your computer to remain on as they act as a connector for your cable TV and your computer. You can switch between the both of them quite easily.

Generally, most of the people opt for the PCTV card option because it is the most reliable one and it offers you the ease of watching TV while using your computer simultaneously. Also, there is no hassle with slow internet speed or switching between computer and TV.

Photo Credits: cogdogblog

Originally posted 2010-04-22 09:36:28.

This post involves:

cable channels, cable connection, cable tv, dish tv, laptop screen, stream channels, tv connector, tv on computer

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Computer Tips

Posted by How To Computer on January 5, 2012 in Computer Tips. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.