| Watch TV From My Computer | | | | Another method is IPTV. TV content streamed |
| Have you ever thought to yourself "It sure would be | | | | straight over the internet to your computer or set |
| nice to watch TV from my computer" Well, it's not | | | | top tuner box. There are two flavors of this. One is |
| the province of the super rich or ultra nerds | | | | through a major service provider such as a cable, |
| anymore. In fact watching TV on your computer is | | | | satellite or phone company. These are definitely |
| becoming more main stream all the time. Some, | | | | capable of delivering a large amount of high quality |
| including software giant Microsoft feel it is the wave | | | | content, but just because it's streamed over the |
| of the future. They've actually staked part of their | | | | Internet doesn't mean you'll just be pluggn' in the net |
| future on it. Their new Vista operating system has | | | | straight to your PC and watching reruns of Sienfeld. |
| features designed specifically to enable this sort of | | | | You are basically duplicating the cable set top box |
| functionality. | | | | approach, except the method of content delivery is |
| That's great, but where do you get the content? I | | | | using IP packets instead of analog or other types of |
| mean, you just can't have thousands of channels | | | | digital cable. |
| pumped into your computer straight from the | | | | There's still another choice. You can watch streaming |
| Internet, can you? Well, actually you can. There are | | | | live TV directly on your computer or to a TV hooked |
| really a few ways to get TV on your computer. You | | | | up to your computer. Using one of several software |
| can buy a TV tuner card. This basically turns your | | | | based solutions, you can watch live TV shows such |
| computer into a high tech VCR or personal video | | | | as sports, prime time network programming, reality |
| recorder (PVR - think TiVO) device. That's pretty | | | | TV, and moves. It's live, and even better there are |
| darn cool, but there are a couple of downsides to | | | | thousands of channels available from all over the |
| the approach. First of all, as was pointed out earlier, | | | | world. If you are looking to keep up on world events, |
| there is a content question. Where do you get it? | | | | or want a different perspective on the news, this is |
| With the TV tuner card method, you're limited to | | | | a fantastic resource. |
| what is available with a terrestrial antenna, or you can | | | | The software streaming solutions really excel for |
| hook up basic cable TV service. Anything beyond | | | | sports, though. You'll find sporting events that are |
| basic cable won't work using this method, because | | | | sparsely covered in the U.S., such as soccer, |
| the content is encrypted by your cable provider. You | | | | motorcycle and bicycle racing. Another bonus is that |
| need their proprietary cable box to decode the really | | | | you can get coverage of the same event form |
| cool channels, or pay per view events. So, while this | | | | different networks. Want to see if the local |
| method of watching TV on your computer is pretty | | | | announcers are a bit biased? You can do it. No |
| neat, there are definitely limitations with it. | | | | matter the sport, if it's on TV anywhere in the world, |
| You can use a pay per download service of watching | | | | you'll be able to watch it. |
| movies on your computer, such as or While they do | | | | So, there are great ways to watch live TV on your |
| offer a large amount of downloadable content, it's | | | | computer. You just need to decide how you are |
| definitely not live TV. If you're looking for real live | | | | going to do it, and grab a cold one! |
| TV, you'll have to look elsewhere. | | | | |