Q&A: Question about going to mainly ‘online’ television watching?
Question by Slappy McStretchNuts: Question about going to mainly ‘online’ television watching?
I was thinking about dropping back to basic cable, which is included in my homeowner’s association fees, and getting rid of extended cable service and all the movie channels I subscribe to, which right now costs about $ 70 a month extra. Since I have to pay the same HOA fees whether I watch cable or not, it makes no sense to drop it entirely. With basic cable, I’ll still have about 30 channels, including local stations.
I was also thinking of getting a dedicated computer to use for watching television and movies (Netflix streaming videos, HULU, Youtube, shows on various network websites, etc.).
My question is this:
What equipment should I consider buying, and what hookups, video cards, software, etc. do I need to get on the new computer? I have a 1080p LCD television with 2 hdmi inputs, and I also have a modern home theater receiver (Harman Kardon AVR-354) with 3 hdmi in and 1 hdmi out.
I’m mainly interested in how I should spec out the computer, plus whether or not I should buy peripheral devices that make TV watching easier. I will be using a DSL connection, but I can upgrade it to a cable internet connection if need be, though my provider claims their cable connection is no faster than their DSL.
Thanks!!!!!
Best answer:
Answer by TV guy
Any computer with an HDMI video out will do, but expect to be dissapointed.
If it has Windows Media center and an ATSC/cable tuner, then you can use it as a DVR as well.
Netflix works, but it is about DVD quality and you need at least 2.5 Mbits/s for that. Youtube, Hulu, etc, are also pretty low resolution, so on a 1080p TV they will look pretty bad.
Perhaps your homeowners assoc. will install (or allow you to install) a good antenna to watch off-the-air free HD programming from local channels.
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