TV on laptop

Theres thousands of options for watching shows and movies on your TV: Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max are just a few popular options. But what if you want to watch live TV, including local channels? You can watch live TV through your PC just as you would watch Netflix, or you can kick it old-school with a TV tuner and an antenna. Heres how.

Check your cable subscription first

Do you have a cable subscription? If so, you may already have access to live TV on your PC. Many cable companies offer streaming live TV as part of their standard cable package.

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This is the best option for streaming live TV to your computer. A cable subscription will offer access to dozens if not hundreds of channels, including location television and live sports events.

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Comcasts Xfinity service lets you watch live TV on your PC.

The interface and apps offered by Xfinity, DirectTV, and similar services are mediocre, but they have the benefit of bringing your cable subscription to multiple devices. Most services will let you pause or record live television on a device and then pick it up later. You can schedule to record a favorite show from your PC, for example, then watch it later on your TV.

Whats the downside? Price. Cable subscriptions typically start a hair below $100 per month and more appealing subscriptions are well over that. With that said, a cable subscription is arguably the best value overall, as it will provide access to tons of channels and many live events.

Live TV streaming services offer a la carte options

Live TV streaming had a moment around 2015 to 2016, led by the introduction of Sling TV and PlayStation Vue. The pitch was simple: its like a cable subscription, but with a Netflix-like interface and pricing. These services failed to dethrone cable with the speed many anticipated (and PlayStation Vue has since shut down) but several great options remain.

The top options include

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You can watch TV on your PC with YouTube TV and similar offerings.

Although easy to use, live TV streaming services are limited when compared to a cable subscription. Sling TV looks affordable at a glance, with service starting at $35 per month. Yet youll soon notice the basic level of service is missing many popular channels, like Discovery, USA, and major cable news channels. The next most expensive level of service has those channels but lacks several live sports channels. To access both you must upgrade to a plan that starts at $50 per month.

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Even then, Sling TV doesnt include access to local news channels or bundle any premium channels and streaming services, like HBO Now or

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If youre willing to spend time comparing tables of available channels, thoughor perusing our sister site TechHives guide to the

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TV tuners + antennas are affordable but limited

TheWinegard Elite 7550 antenna.

A TV tuner converts radio waves into picture and sound for a television or other device. Adding a TV tuner to your PC will let you

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Youll find two basic types of TV tuner: USB and add-on cards. USB TV tuners are easy to install because they attach to a USB port on your PC. Just plug the tuner into USB, attach an antenna to the tuner, install a compatible software or app, and youre good to go.

An add-on card plugs into a desktop computers internal PCI Express slot. This makes installation more complicated and limits it to conventional desktop computers, but doesnt take up a USB port while in use.

The only cost is the price of the TV tuner and the antenna youll attach to it. Once installed, the TV tuner receives free over-the-air broadcasts.

Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, youll pay with another valuable resource: time.

An over-the-air DVR, such as the Tablo Quad, gives you more control than the cloud DVRs streaming services offer.

TV tuners and OTA DVR options are niche devices designed for enthusiasts. You will need to use the software that came with the tuner, which is easy but leaves you limited to the features that came with it, or figure out how to connect the tuner into third-party software, like Plex or Kodi. This might be more than you bargained for. (Our sister site TechHives guide to

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Over-the-air television has limits even when the TV tuner works. Its best for live sports broadcasts, as most major events will be shown on over-the-air networks. A TV tuner is much less useful for television, as youll be limited to major network shows, and useless for movies or niche live events, like concerts or less popular sporting events. These arent typically available on over-the-air television.

Whats the best way to watch TV on your PC?

Check your cable subscription first. Cable and satellite TV still make up more than half the market for live TV in the United States (and its global market share is only slightly lower). Odds are good you have access to a cable subscription that can be used for live TV on your PC.

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If you dont, live TV streaming services are a good alternative (with

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TV tuners are only useful if you want to watch and record over-the-air television. Its not great as your main source for live TV but it can work well alongside a live TV streaming service. For example, Sling TV is affordable but doesnt include local channels. A TV tuner can fill that gap.

For most people, streaming live TV through a cable service or live TV streaming service is the best option by far. Its easy, affordable, and provides access to the channels you want.

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