Internet tv

Hey Folks,I am a newbie,and this is a second post for me.I am also new to computers,my question is, that my son keeps telling me about connecting a pc to a tv set to watch tv.Can you possibly do this?We have direct tv ,is there something we can get to watch tv through the computer,that is just as good or better than a dish without the monthly bill.all comments would be of great help for us Thank You.

 

Well, to connect your PC to your TV is not a problem, you just need an s-video cable (assuming you have an s-video connection on your computer) or a VGA cable (if you have a HDTV).

There are several online companies that claim to give you high quality TV for a single payment, but I have never tried any of them.

Another option would be something like VeohTV, which is free, and the video is (somewhat) high quality, but the channel selection is more Youtube than DirectTV.

Of course, to do any of this, you need a fairly high speed internet connection.

 

I've tried countless "online tv" services since the year 2000. None of them have ever been as pleasing as a dedicated cable television or satellite. The best thing I would say to go for would be surfing in your phone book and finding the best deal for a new satellite rate or digital cable.

P.s.
I love tivo so I'm sticking to that on my hi def cable tv.

 

Yes, you can do this, but it won't "replace" cable IMHO.

You can pull over-the-air digital broadcasts through your computer by using a TV Tuner card, and then play that on your computer. But this is nothing that a regular old DTV can't already do.

You can also "watch" a LOT of programs on the computer both on the network sites themselves, and on some third party sites. For example you can watch the entire season of certain programs on NBC. I like to watch Medium on line because my kids are still up when it is broadcast, and I don't want them watching it with me. So, I can watch it on demand at night after they have gone to bed. PBS is also pretty good about putting programs on line. Most Nova, Frontline, and American Experience programs are watchable. You can also watch the entire season of shows like "House" on a third party website.

BUT, the quality depends HIGHLY on your system speed, and your internet connection. And, none of these are "television" like you might be used to.

I'm not sure if that is what your son meant or not. To my knowledge there are no full time computer/TV broadcast stations that would replace Cable TV. BUT, I actually find that I am pretty happy with my combination of internet downloads and regular old antenna TV and see no need for cable/satellite at all.