Record high definition television on your computer.
Watching your favorite television shows in HD doesn’t have to be a costly process. In fact, using free HD signals captured from over-the-air broadcasts, you can turn your computer into a cheap DVD. You can record your shows to your hard drive, in high definition, and be able to watch them as often as you like. Installation is easy, and the price is right.
Instructions
1. Purchase a TV tuner card for your computer. These typically plug into a PCI Express port in your computer and are able to accept and display television content on your computer. Make sure you get one that can handle HD over-the-air content. Popular manufacturers include Hauppauge and AVerMedia.
2. Install your TV tuner card. Unplug your computer and open the case. Push the TV tuner gently into a PCI Express slot in your motherboard. The card will latch into place when correctly inserted. Screw the bracket on the left side of the card to the case, and close the computer case. Boot up your computer to ensure it recognizes the card. Use the card’s installation CD to install any required drivers for the card to work.
3. Plug in an antenna to the device. The antenna will transmit HD content to your computer’s TV tuner card.
4. Record HD content using software. Windows users can use the bundled Media Center program to record TV signals. Other solutions include MythTV and GB-PVR. This software will turn your computer into a DVR, allowing you to schedule and record HD content. Make sure you have a large hard drive (i.e. 500 GB or larger), as HD content takes up a lot of space.
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