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First, you need a good
computer. You can easily watch numerous online tv channels including 1000s
of free movies with just a few basic things that many of you already have.
First, a good computer. Most of the computers built in the last 3 years
should do however, this is assuming they were built with improved memory,
and faster speeds. You should have at least a Pentium 4 computer processor
or a AMD equivalent to receive live tv feeds. Generally a PC with a Pentium 4
grade processor tends to have the speeds you need and larger memory
capacity. Minimum processor speed should be 333mhz but take note, this is
the MINIMUM speed. The faster the better. Though you can sometimes get by
with less computer power, you'll probably get real tired of slow buffering
and interuptions in your tv watching. You can get by with 512mb of memory
but again, this is the MINIMUM. It is recommended that you double this
figure to 1 GB. Next, you should have a good graphics card with plenty of
memory. Personally we like the Nvidia GeForce graphics cards since in some
cases you will have to set up your display for multiple screens or make
adjustments in display (if you plan on using a real TV). The NIVIDIA
Control Panel seems much easier to use than others we have seen when
setting up multiple screens. The actual model you decide on will depend on
your needs. Are you planning on setting up a actual TV? Are you satisfied
with sitting in front of your computer and watching TV? You say you just
want to watch TV in front of your computer. Most cases newer computer will
have built in graphics with at least 512 mb of memory which will work for
this purpose, though it is best to have a gig of memory for graphics. If
watching TV in front of your PC is all you want then no other special
requirements are needed for a graphics card. You say you want to watch TV
on a larger display. Well they are finally making computer monitors as
large as TVs. If this is desire then nothing special other than
memory is needed for a graphics card, unless, you want multiple displays.
Well this changes things slightly. Your graphics card will need to two
outputs.
One for each display. We used the Nvidia Geforce 9500 GT with one gig of
memory for this purpose. There are better cards made by Nvidia but this one
did do the job for a bit less money. The GForce 9500 GT has two Dual Link
DVI-I outputs and also a HDTV/TV output. We do not recommend using the HDTV
output since the display quality was not near as good. The GForce 9500
comes with one adapter (DVI to VGA) for a computer monitor and if needed
you can get another at Radio Shack. We needed 2 since we needed cable
lengths of 20 feet to hook up to the TVs VGA port. HDMI cables should not
be longer than 10 feet. If you have your computer near your TV then you can
also use a HDMI to DVI converter cable, or get a graphics card with HDMI
port but keep in mind hooking up your PC monitor. TVs, well, larger
computer monitors are best since they are built for computers. With the TV
as the display you may have to do some tweaking to find the correct
resolution so desktop does not wind up larger than the TV display. We found
that we could not see our EXIT, MINIMIZE, ECT to control our desktop window
when not set correctly. Not all TVs will be the same. There's 1080p, 720p,
ect. We felt the best overall picture was when using the VGA port in the TV
so by all means get a TV that has one. One last thing about TVs. Keep in
mind that you will have to be able to read print from a distance. We
recommend a screen of no less than 26 actual inches. Most of these TVs you
buy today say they are so many inches but are not exactly what you think.
Some are measured Diagonally making what they consider 32" display
more in the lines of 26 to 28". Take a tape measure with you when you
buy. Get what you expect. What else do you need? It's helpful to have a
wireless mouse & keyboard. These items will be your remote for now on.
Next, a broadband connection to
the internet. This is very important. Sure you can still watch TV with a
dial up connection but I doubt you will be very happy with all the interuptions,
slow buffering, making a 30 minute show last 2 hours. Most broadband
providers offer 2 speeds. I'm sorry but off the top of my head I can not
think of those speeds they offer. I can tell you this though. If you can
afford the higher speed, that's the way to go. You have better quality
display, smoother motion, quicker buffering, etc. The slower broadband
speed will work 95% of the time however you may have problems with High Def
Presentations. Last thing you need, A internet browser. There's a lot of
people out there telling you that if you use their TV software you'll get
1000s of channels when the truth is that the majority of the channels
offered are available to you without using any TV software at all. As a
english speaking person I found that the majority offered were of no use. I
am not saying that having a look at some of them is a waste of your time.
Not at all. We actually liked a few of them and some offered channels we
could not find elsewhere. To name a couple, TVUNetwork, Livestation. To sum
this up we hope this helps you to get started enjoying Free TV and Free Movies streaming from the internet right to your
PC. Bye....
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