Watch TV on Your HP Laptop or Desktop PC With a HP TV tuner
With the advent of HDMI cables, many people use their TV as a computer monitor and their computer monitors as a television. Older laptops and desktop monitors, however, do not always have HDMI ports. With a HP TV tuner, you can watch broadcast TV on almost any HP laptop or desktop monitor.
How is a TV tuner installed?There are actually a few types of tuners available. One is a device that needs to be installed internally on your laptop or desktop hard drive. Another is a card that fits into the express card slot on your HP laptop or desktop. The last type is a USB stick that fits into any USB port.
What channels does a TV tuner get?A card will pick up any digital broadcast signals in your area that are strong enough for the device to read. Most major metropolitan areas also have a number of different channels available for free that provide different types of content. If you live in a rural area, however, you may not be able to pick up a signal and may need to also use an external antenna. Most cards will not allow you to attach an antenna, so you may need to use an internal device or USB stick. If you have cable, however, an internal or USB tuner will allow you to run a cable wire from your cable outlet or set-top box to your laptop or desktop. Then you can watch any channels that are available with your cable package. If you do not have cable, here are some stations that are generally available in most areas:
- ABC
- NBC
- CBS
- FOX
- PBS
- The CW
A TV tuner will also allow you to record movies and TV shows to your desktop or laptop hard drive. Some TV tuner packages will even include a remote control that can allow you to pause live TV and rewind and fast forward through commercials. When you run out of space on your laptop or desktop, you can also transfer your saved movies and shows to an external hard drive for later viewing. HP also offers a combination TV tuner and DVR that you can program to record all of your favorite shows without taking up space on your laptop or desktop hard drive. As with most DVRs, if your DVR gets full, you can either delete shows to free up more space or you can transfer media to an external hard drive, just like you can with your computer.
What comes with the TV tuner?Some tuners will come with all of the original packaging and paperwork while others will only include the device itself. Most tuners draw power from your laptop or desktop, so most do not come with a power cable. Some will come with a remote control and some will come with a software disc that needs to be installed to run the device. If the software is missing or if you do not have a disc drive on your computer, most software can be downloaded directly from HP.