Many people have heard that they can watch TV on their PC and wonder what is required for this to be possible. If you are one of these people, you will be delighted to know that PC TV does exist, there are a number of ways you can watch it, and most probably, you are just a few easy steps away from it.
There are basically three options available over and above the old TV broadcast methods (cable, satellite, aerial).
Streaming
There are quite a few online television providers offering TV streaming either for free or a particular fee (normally cheaper than that to a regular satellite or cable TV provider). You can also find official TV channel websites, which stream live TV for free. The quality differs, but is quite disappointing in most cases. However, the technology for streaming is getting better all the time. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to find easily the channel or program you want to watch and you may have to subscribe to each individually.
PCTV Card Module
A number of suppliers offer a hardware card which you plug in to the internal system bus in your PC providing an interface to TV broadcasts. USB cards are also becoming available. These cards are usually designed to pick up the regular "free-to-air" channels and display them on your PC. Some cards provided a connection to TV through the internet, but do not have such comprehensive facilities as a software PC TV package. Additional hardware installation is required, and though the quality of the picture and the channel selection can be very satisfactory, your computer upgrades and the PCTV card can cost you a lot of dollars.
Internet "TV for PC" Software
The method is becoming more and more popular thanks to a vast selection of channels, easy interface and low one-off fee. Costing around $50 in most cases, the software enables you to watch Internet PCTV within seconds from its installation. The best thing is that after the software is downloaded, you don't have to pay anything else whatsoever. You can enjoy the seemingly endless range of television channels on a lifetime access basis and even updates are normally completely free. Most packages now offer HD channels with superb quality pictures.
What is the best option for you?
If you are a very occasional viewer, it is worth investing in TV on PC software as it has proven to be the cheapest option in the long run. Even if you are a TV fanatic, I would still recommend PCTV software. If you don't mind spending some quite heavy cash, hardware method is also good though, it still doesn't provide the number of channels the software does and sometime in the future you may need to pay to upgrade the hardware.
Online or direct streaming, especially if it is free or low-cost, may be the best option if you only want to watch one particular channel (a news channel, for example) and are lucky enough to have found it online. However, many people want to be able to watch Internet satellite TV with its almost infinite variety making the software use the most advantageous option.
So I would always recommend the PCTV option. There is a huge variety of channels, excellent picture quality and incredible value for money. See my reviews of the best two products I have found and be watching in the next few minutes.
