Watching TV on computer

[KielC]

Hi,

I am getting some work done in my living room so I need to move my TV into storage for a few weeks and I don't want to miss any games.

I have a Shaw HD cable box DCT6200. What do I need to hook it up and watch TV on my computer?

Thanks.

[Bobblehead]

A video capture card. Some video cards have this ability included, most don't.
If you are wanting to watch your HD content be sure to check out the specs of the capture card - only a few of them can handle HD signals.

Most capture cards come with some sort of basic software for watching TV. If you want to get things like on screen guides and PVR functionality you will need additional software. Windows Media Centre does it, as does Beyond-TV, and for the Linux geeks, MythTV.

Since you have a Set Top box, you may also want to look into an IR Blaster to allow your computer to change the channels.

If it is only for a few weeks, you would probably want to go basic - if you are willing to "suffer" with analog cable for a while, just plug that into your capture device and it should be more than acceptable in the short term. (it is your HD box that adds to the complexity x10)

[KielC]

Thanks.

Analog will do fine for a few weeks. Memory express has a few on their website, I will do some reading on the internet about video capture cards and then stop by Mem Express.

[Bobblehead]

If you have a computer with a decent CPU you can use almost anything. If you have an older computer (CPU less than 1.5 Ghz) you may want a card with hardare encoding (although they are a bit more expensive).