Upgrade #4: Adding a TV Tuner Card Most users don't know they can use their PCs to watch television programs. All you have to do is install a TV tuner card in your system unit; this card operates independent of your video card and contains a fully functioning television tuner. Connect your TV antenna, cable, or satellite signal to the card's input jack and you can watch television broadcasts on your computer monitor, either full-screen or in a resizable TV window. Of course, if you don't want to go through all the rigmarole of installing a card, there are plenty of external TV tuners available, as well. These devices connect via USB (no surprise there), and typically include a remote control unit for channel switching. "Mike Sez"  | If you want to upgrade your video card and add a TV tuner and add video capture, you don't have to buy and install three different cards. Check out ATI's All-in-Wonder cards, which combine all three functions into a single expansion card. |
When you're shopping for a TV tuner card or device, look for models from these companies: ATI Technologies (www.ati.com) AVerMedia (www.aver.com) Hauppauge (www.hauppauge.com) Pinnacle Systems (www.pinnaclesys.com)
Installing a tuner card is as easy as installing any other type of expansion card. Just follow these steps: Close Windows and power off your system. Disconnect your PC from its power source. Open the system unit case. Locate an open expansion slot, and then unscrew and remove the slot's cover. Save the screw. Insert the tuner card into the now-open slot. Use the screw you saved in step 4 to fasten the new card into place. caution  | If, after you install your TV tuner card, you don't get any sound when watching television programs, there's another installation step you need to take. Some TV tuner cards require connection of an internal cable to your system's sound card; check your instruction manual to see if this needs to be done. |
Reinstall the system unit cover and reconnect the PC to its power source. Connect your antenna, cable, or satellite dish to the tuner card's RF or S-video input. (If you already have a cable modem connected to your PC, you can split the cable before the modem to run the cable signal to your tuner card.) Restart your computer. Run the installation software that came with the tuner card, or use Windows' Add Hardware Wizard to install the proper drivers.
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