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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  • 1 Posted by chinacode2008 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    www.tvants.com is cool place for Chinese TVs and others.

  • 4 Posted by b_ratledge on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:16PM EDT Report Abuse

    go to tvu and download free player...live tv ....west coast timezone....spike tv,nbc,fox,espn,some junk...pick your favorite stations

  • 5 Posted by lvrwm on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:01PM EDT Report Abuse

    It should be mentioned the programs are not available for viewing outside of the US. As an American working abroad, it is difficult to keep up with programs.

  • 6 Posted by jpdigsbass on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    Check out slingbox, www.slingmedia.com/ Allows you to watch your tv from home anywhere

  • 7 Posted by ccbfernandes on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    It's true what lvrwm said, i can't watch any of the shows I love because I'm outside the US.

  • 8 Posted by jpepsu2009 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    www.slingmedia.com-- it allows you to directly connect to your home cable/ tivo / DVR or satellite box at no monthly charge and watch tv through a windows smartphone, laptop, or pocketpc from anywhere in the world-- it works great, and so far we've had no problems wit h it

  • 9 Posted by chipkitley on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you have a Media Center PC That is always turned on and hooked up to Cable you can watch any live TV show or recorded TV from it through Orb.com if you are anywhere else and have a high speed internet connection.

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