Turn Your PC Into a TV

Plugging In

First things first: You need a way to get that TV signal into your PC. Unfortunately, most PCs lack the hardware to do this. The best way to pipe TV into your computer is by installing an add-in card, but there are other approaches as well.

Here are the three main options you can choose from to turn your PC into a TV.

• A combination graphics/TV tuner card: These boards replace the graphics card already in your PC--if you have one. Most PCs with integrated graphics don't have a separate graphics card, or even an AGP slot. (Note: An AGP card is better than a PCI card.) Products include the ATI All-in-Wonder line ($140 to $400, depending on model), or the NVidia Personal Cinema platform (the MSI FX5200 Personal Cinema costs about $160).
• A dedicated TV tuner card: The Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-250 ($135) is a PCI card with a TV tuner and ports. Install the card into your PC alongside your existing (AGP) graphics card, and you're ready to tune in and turn on.
• An external TV tuner box: The Hauppage WinTV-USB ($80) plugs into a USB port to pipe video into your PC. There's no fussing with the innards of your PC, but the slow USB connection limits you to low video resolution and frame rates. This is affordable and useful for laptops, but it's a less-than-ideal option.

One other option is a flat-panel monitor with a built-in TV tuner--essentially a combination TV and computer monitor. Products like the $700 17-inch Sharp LL-M17W1 LCD TV Monitor are probably the easiest (and most expensive) way to get quality TV output on your PC. But a combo flat panel can't record video to your hard disk, since the PC plays no role in television viewing.

For most of us, the combo card is the best route, especially if you're already considering a graphics card upgrade to boost video performance. You end up with just one board in your PC and one set of drivers for controlling the new hardware. You can pay top dollar for a powerful TV-savvy graphics card--the high-end ATI All-in-Wonder 9800 Pro costs nearly $400, but offers the best graphics around plus extras like a remote control. If game-busting graphics aren't a must, consider ATI's lower-priced options.

Whether you go with a combo card or a PCI-based TV tuner board, make sure you consider products with a remote control. Otherwise you'll have to walk over to the PC's keyboard to change channels and adjust the volume. The process of getting hooked up is similar. You install the new board, and then follow the product directions for loading drivers and software--some combo cards also include a cable that connects directly to your sound card to enable audio. In all cases, you'll see that the tuner card has a round, silver coaxial port sticking out the back. Just screw the coax TV cable running from your wall into this port, and then fire up the bundled viewing software.