| 5 Ways to Watch TV on the Computer
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Computer Monitor TV Tuners:
Although the title of this section may not be the most technical term available to describe the product in question, it is a fair description. This type of TV tuner connects to your computer monitor directly, and does not require that your computer be powered up in order to enjoy television (or any of the other video input sources they may support). The device connects between your computer and monitor, and with a press of a button or click of a remote control you can switch between your computer display and your favorite TV show.
The Startech.com TV Jockey and ViewSonic NextVision N5 are two examples of this sort of "PC-less" TV tuner that allow just about any computer monitor to be converted into a display for TV, DVD, and other video sources (security video on your PC monitor, anyone?)
One key advantage of this type of tuner is that you are not relying on the computer at all - you simply need a monitor. This way, you do not have to worry about any PC noise (the whirring of fans and droning of drives) hindering your enjoyment, there is no software to install, and you do not have to worry about your computer hardware meeting minimum specifications for proper operation.
The downside to this type of tuner is that you cannot use your computer to record, and since the tuner is not built into your computer, it will probably be a stationary device.
Watch TV Online:
With high speed Internet reaching new heights in popularity and available speed, many outlets (such as YouTube) are taking advantage of it to share their video content. This includes pre-recorded content, but now there are a variety of programs available to watch TV online.
Some of the major broadcast networks now have programs available online, such as CBS and their CBS Innertube originals. Established online media portals now also offer television programming, like Shoutcast TV. Shoutcast has been streaming audio through Winamp for years, but now you can also watch television programs from around the world through the familiar Winamp interface.
There are also some websites out there that have sprung up to serve as portals to direct TV feeds from around the world. World Wide Internet TV and Beeline TV are just two examples that will let you watch things like the local news from sunny California or a soccer match from Eastern Europe.
The main advantage of this type of television is that it is readily available anywhere broadband Internet is available. Today, you can watch shows from around the world that you could not get on standard cable TV, and there is no additional charge over your Internet service fees.
The negative aspects of broadband TV are that the selection of shows is presently quite limited, and in most cases, the image quality is rather poor. Although people have more bandwidth than ever on their personal broadband connections, having shows stream in broadcast quality (or dare we wish for HD quality?) is generally cost and hardware restrictive.
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