Ashtech

It’s hard to believe that there was a time when there was only one way to watch a TV show: with your television set. Your options were limited to one of three networks who dished out safe and dumbed down programming to the masses.

If this is your current situation, you might try some of the methods outlined here on how to watch TV on the computer.

1) One popular way to watch TV on the computer is to use BitTorrent networking to download a movie for free onto your PC. BitTorrent networking has been around for years and is a type of Internet peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing used to download movies and music.

In a peer-to-peer network, the file containing the movie is split up and the pieces are distributed among the different people in the network that want to download the file. Then everyone in the network supplies each other with the various missing parts that they each need until everyone has all of the parts of the file.

This process was ‘seeded’ by the person who supplied the original intact movie. Before you can download movies like this, you will have to install what is known as bitTorrent client software.

BitComet is a client software that’s been around for a while and is more than adequate for the job. Next, use a torrent search engine such as torrentz.com and enter a search query related to the movie you wish to download (like ‘Clint Eastwood’).

Then click on a search result that appeals to you. You should arrive at a page with the movie title and a ‘Download Torrent’ link or button.

Click on this and the download will commence. When the transfer is finished, it is your turn to become the ‘seed’ and to allow other users to share your complete file.

This is done simply by leaving your client software running for several hours. Note that this description is just an overview and leaves out some of the details of the process.

Be warned that it is illegal to download material with a copyright. Some people using P2P networks for illegal downloads have been prosecuted.

2) If you are interested in transferring the TV programs from your television set to your computer or laptop it can be conveniently done with a USB TV tuner. This is an external device that simply connects into your television and PC.

This external arrangement is quite different from the TV tuner card which is installed inside your PC. Signals from your TV’s output ports are transferred to the USB TV tuner input ports.

These signals are modified and sent on to the USB port of your computer. As with most USB TV tuners, the television shows can be saved to your hard drive as well as paused, rewound and fast forwarded.

Some models will also allow you to burn TV shows to DVD. The price can vary from $50 to $200.

3) A very quick method of watching TV on the computer with no learning curve or hardware is through the use of a special software download. The software gives you access to thousands of streaming TV stations directly off the Internet.

The requirements are fairly basic: a computer with high speed Internet access and a few freely available media players. Given that you probably have these basics already, the only cost is the price of the software itself, between $50 and $100.

Now that you know what’s out there and how to get it, its time to take action and try out few of these goodies for yourself. Hopefully this article has opened your eyes to the incredible entertainment opportunities available to anyone willing to take them.