Five Ways to Watch TV on Your PC

Sat Feb 10, 2007 7:34AM EST

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Sure, you might be sitting at a desk and not really thinking about 24, but why wouldn't you want to watch TV on your computer? Your LCD almost certainly has better resolution than your TV, and when you're right in front of it, with two decent speakers (or more), it can be a pretty good way to watch a show or two.

Here are five ways to get television on your computer.

1) TiVoToGo - If you have a Series2 TiVo, you need TiVoToGo, which lets you download anything you've recorded on your TiVo to your PC. The shows can't be shared with other computers, so if you're planning on watching TV on the road, make sure you install TiVoToGo on your laptop. It's free, people!

2) Official Web Downloads - Check it out: The TV network may keep copies of its shows online for free download. NBC, for example, has some full episodes of its prime time shows here, and CBS has full episodes of a full eight prime time series available to watch online (bottom left corner). Visit your favorite shows' official website (or their network) to see what's available.

3) Classic TV - Like bad TV from the '70s and '80s (and just about any other decade)? Check out In2TV (Internet Explorer only, and even then it's buggy), which has archives of dozens of old shows (some much, much worse than others).

4) Overseas TV - Wanna brush up on your Hungarian? Check out BeelineTV, which streams about 100 networks from countries ranging from China to Slovenia and beyond. You'll find plenty more a wwiTV, which also includes numerous U.S. local channels broadcasting online.

5) When in Doubt, Buy It - You can buy or rent TV show episodes a la carte all over the web. Most popular is probably the iTunes Store: Note that you don't actually need an iPod to buy movies here if you just want to watch them on your computer. An episode is typically $1.99. Amazon Unbox also has similarly prices (though few have much good to say about it).

I already hit five? I haven't even covered connecting your TV to your cable with a tuner card or a USB TV tuner. There's also the famous Slingbox, and you can always buy or rent TV shows on DVD, too. Post your other suggestions for getting TV on your computer in the comments section!

Comments on Five Ways to Watch TV on Your PC

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  • 47 Posted by wgbwgbwgb on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    What about BROADCASTER.COM. Its far better than all the sites mentioned in the article. BROADCASTER has hundreds of movies you can stream or download for free. BROADCASTER also has all the youtube like videos etc...Best one stop solution for all TV needs

  • 48 Posted by gengstadama on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:07PM EDT Report Abuse

    The whole article is stupid. You cant download the TV shows to your harddrive, you can only stream.

  • 49 Posted by thejansons on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:04PM EDT Report Abuse

    I live in Canada and cannot watch shows posted on network websites. The best site is alluc.org. They offer a ton of shows and you don't have to download them onto your computer. Worth checking out!

  • 50 Posted by churajn_surveys on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have found walmart.com to be a good place for finding movies and TV shows to download and watch on my computer. The TV shows cost $1.98 each and can be transfered to portable devices from your computer. The download process is fairly quick and is very easy also.

  • 51 Posted by lennyogarc on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    You left out the slingbox, some hardware that lets to watch your cable tv from anywhere around the globe (including on your cell phone)

  • 54 Posted by dita13 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    Don't forget about Wi-Fitv it is free-

  • 55 Posted by alamo20578 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Found more internet TV links at: http://radioitalia.gobot.com

  • 56 Posted by afsniper1207 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    Slingbox. How the heck could you write an article about watching TV on your PC and not include the slingbox. I have one and I use it for both my laptop and my handheld. No monthly fee's, one time purchase, outstanding resolution, easy set-up. What more could you want. If you are looking for TV viewing on your P.C. or handheld, then slingbox is the only way to go. Just as the individual above me stated, slingbox should have been #1.

  • 57 Posted by krikiread on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    When will Time warner have the tivo to go option....can't wait

  • 65 Posted by edward_tiburcio on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    Torrentspy.com. You can download any movies that are in theaters and any tv shows. You need BitLord program for this. It is not illegal!

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