Watching TV is becoming a forgotten habit among many professionals. It’s not that they don’t enjoy watching the programs or that they don’t care what’...
Watching TV is becoming a forgotten habit among many professionals. It’s not that they don’t enjoy watching the programs or that they don’t care what’s on TV,
there’s simply no time to fit into their very busy schedules. For the frequent travelers and the people who just can’t seem to stay home, the challenge is finding the time to watch their favorite TV programs. This is where your laptop computer comes in. Whether you want to tap into your satellite feed or stream your favorite TV show online, you can do so even if you’re not staring at a television set. Here are five ways to watch TV on your very own laptop.
Get it free from top TV networks
The leading TV networks offer much of their prime-time lineup online. This means that even without a TV tuner, you can still watch many of your favorite network shows online. NBC, for instance, allows you to view their leading shows online such as 30 Rock, Heroes, and the Tonight Show. Similarly, ABC offers free viewing of their hit shows like Ugly Betty, Lost and Desperate Housewives. You can also do the same with other networks including Fox and CBS. It’s really easy to do too; just log on to their official websites and you’ll see the link that directs you to the online TV world.
Online video services
The previous option is obviously limited as you can only view TV shows from the top TV networks. If you’re looking for more variety, you can partake in free online video services such as Joost. Probably the most popular form of online video service, Joost offers a huge lineup of channels including MTV, National Geographic, Comedy Central and ESPN. However, since the service is free of charge, you don’t always get the best of the channels’ content. A lot of times it can be choppy and slow, especially with the prime-time shows. You can still get clear and TV quality online shows, but they come with a price. At $19.99 per month, you can subscribe to AT&T Broadband TV. This service is powered by MobiTV and offers live streaming from multiple networks including all Fox networks, The Weather Channel, CBS, ESPN and A&E.
Use a TV tuner
Vista’s Media Center made all the rage as it allows you to watch and record all your favorite TV shows with just the use of a very portable USB TV Tuner. It can literally turn your laptop into a TV with TiVo as long as you have a laptop with an HD monitor. You can purchase the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950, which lets you watch and easily record any cable TV show, for only $120. Or, if you want to go all hi-tech, go for the ATI TV WONDER 600 as this software allows you to watch and record any cable TV show, as well as manage your media library. You can also literally make your laptop a TV set by using the IR remote included in the software.
Buy it from iTunes
There’s always the expensive yet quickest way of doing things, and watching TV on your laptop is no exception. If you don’t want to go all technical about this endeavor, you can simply buy TV shows and movies from iTunes. This gives you far greater flexibility because even though buying from iTunes may be far more expensive than the previously managed options, the advantage this is you can get access to all kinds of shows, and not just present ones, but also shows from the past. GP
