There are two ways you could do this. One would be the ‘hardware way’, where you fix a TV card to your computer and make your computer a detector to TV transmission so you would have all local channels on your computer but why would you want that when you have a real TV which is dedicated for just that somewhere around the corner? This method though has been around for quite a while and the fact that it’s not widely used is because clearly there’s no point in it.
The other way to turn your computer into a Television is using the Internet. There are several live streaming television channels available for viewing which are mostly free. Of course before giving online TV a try you will need a good internet connection to ensure seamless and uninterrupted playback. If you’ve got yourself a good internet connection I suggest you try online TV services for a change.
While local and cable TV is great, watching TV online has it’s benefits as well:
There are channels available that are only streamed online and comprise of very educational and entertaining content that you probably won’t find on traditional television and cable channels very often.
While local and cable TV is great, new releases of movies, music and such are available quicker on online TV rather than your local TV. This widely depends on your country, but if you are outside the US mainly you will probably see more recent releases in online streaming channels than what you would find on your local or cable TV.
While this can be configured with your TV as well, online TV gives you more flexibility and at cheaper prices or even for free. There are plenty of services that let you pick a TV show or movie of your choice which is pretty much VOD.
Ah, that’s the other thing, with online TV you see much fewer advertisements and interruptions during streaming making your TV watching experience a lot more productive.
With a little bit of research it is possible to get high quality streaming with VOD and other features for absolutely free. Paying a tiny sum for all these features are also possible and worth it as well. In any case, comparatively online TV is a lot cheaper.
There are plenty of free and paid TV services online, some of the most popular ones are:
Channel Chooser is one of the most popular free web based channel portals offering an array of thousands of channels to choose from.
AnyTV is a TV streaming application giving you access to thousands of streaming channels available for free with limited channels and features and for $44 with all channels and extra features available. All channels are rated by users to let you pick the best channels easily and categorized as well. The quality of channels in terms of freshness of content and display quality vary as well.
LiveStation is a Microsoft backed project and gives you access to several channels partnered with LiveStream (this mainly consists of news channels) and user submitted streams. Recommended specifically for news, LiveStation provides a free downloadable application with a sleek interface for viewing TV online.
Joost is another similar service to LiveStation yet web based and is another user-driven community as well comprising of several high quality streams. It also features unique features such as integrated Facebook login for members and the possibility to embed channeld on your website.
Another popular Internet TV portal with thousands of channels worldwide to choose from.
While Internet TV seems like a decent alternative the main negative aspect behind Internet TV would be the video quality factor. Quality varies drastically depending on the source. Another issue with Internet TV, mainly the free services is that some of the content and the channels itself may not be permitted for commercial viewing.
The above mentioned online TV services are just a few of several free and paid online TV services, there are plenty more to choose from. If you happen to stumble across a great online TV service be sure to mention it in the comments.
Read this great LifeHacker article telling you why Internet TV is a great alternative.
Update: Looks like Wordpress thinks online TV is a great idea too. Fresh from the Automattic oven, Wordpress has launched Wordpress.TV, all you need to know about Wordpress, on video.
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Clearly the first way is the easiest and fastest. For tv download, we might need high speed internet connection and the quality won’t be that nice either.
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my connection is very low, i think i never watch online tv at least for now
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[...] Turn your Computer into a TV [...]
I find that its easier just to have a TV in the room and it probably doesn’t chew up as much quota either
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Thanks,
it is a good list
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No I have to sit down and wait my ISP fix my connection problem. For now I can’t watch online tv
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You’re making to much trouble out of this.
There is a great clickbank product for that.
something like TV for computer.
Brooke
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It seems great. I am subscribing now. Thanks for sharing a lovely information with us.
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Good information. How about the picture quality?
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The video quality is sufficient. Generally youtube like quality, however there are channels available at very high qualities as well but requires better bandwidth.
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Oks I wanna try to do this
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Think might not possible if internet connectivity slow or break down, otherwise its jackpot most computer user because its reduce power bill.
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I have given it a go, and the video quality varies widely. But I have found some very interesting stuff you won’t find on “regular” TV.
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Only possible if you have very high speed internet connection otherwise it can really frustrate you to watch TV channels on Computer.
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wow! i am gonna try it for sure though i am still not convinced about the continous streaming and quality of shows.
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I prefer just getting an LCD TV and then using that as a monitor. Saves me more money.
HTC Magic Review’s last blog post..DirectTV app is to US iPhone while Orange TV app is to iPhone France
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I think TV online will be the wave of the future, just like youtube, etc has become a big hit. Anyways, I have a TV tuner card, its awesome
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Such interesting read and information, thanks for sharing this post. I will check back to read your other new posts.
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Dears, if you don’t feel like turning your PC monitor into TV, it’s OK, but why not believe figures and data??? You won’t treat it like an ad, if I write something like … Shit, who the hell have created TV on PC? Forget it and buy expensive LCD tvs and watch them and buy expensive big monitors and work on them … Don’t be stupid and so damn suspicious.
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I don’t mean permanently, but can you hook up cable to it and watch TV just like a regular TV? What equipment needs to be added?
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