I know nothing about PCs. How do I watch digital cable on my PC monitor? Thank?

Question

My digital cable box has AV() and dvi-d >. My P.C. is a Compaq Presario Media Center SR1923WM-B PC. The monitor is a HP w19 19-inch wide Flat-Panel LCD Monitor. It says "Create your own home theater with the true widescreen format; watch movies in HDTV format right from your PC • Get true digital graphics performance with the dual inputs that support both DVI-D and traditional analog (VGA ).What ever that means(i dunno). My P.C. has - Memory Slots: 4 DIMM (184-pin, DDR) (two available), Expansion Slots: 3 PCI slots (2 available), 2 PCI Express slot (available), Expansion Bays: 2 external 5.25e (one available), 1 external 3.5e (available), 1 internal 3.5e (occupied), External Ports: Front Panel 9-in-1 memory card reader - supports Compact Flash I/II, SmartMedia, xD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital (SD), Micro Drive, 7 USB 2.0 ports (3 front, 4 back), 1 Line-out (FRONT), 2 PS/2 (back), Microphone/Line-In/Line-out (back).WHAT DO I NEED 2 BUY 2 WATCH TV

Answer 1

I think the best option for anyone looking to do a decent amount of recording (or viewing external video) on their PC is to get a TV tuner card. That way, you don't have to replace your existing video card. It installs into an open PCI slot on your motherboard.

I like the Hauppauge brand. For decent features that's not overkill, look at the PVR-150 or PVR-250 models. You should be able to get one on eBay or online for less than $125. WIth it, you can hook up cable TV, your antenna, your VCR, or anything that uses an RCA jack for video.

The best thing about the Hauppauge brand is the software that comes bundled. It makes it easy to record giving you complete control over the quality of video and getting it ready in case you want to transfer it to DVD by use of a burner. Also the scheduling program is great for time recording your shows.

Make sure you have a PC that was built in the last 3-4 years and has plenty of hard drive space to get the most out of it. You also should be using at least 512MB of RAM...

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If you really want to see what you can do with your PC, pick up the latest copy of Maximum PC magazine (October issue). It has a section dedicated to building a media PC. Although you're not starting from scratch, you can use some of the suggestions for hardware or software to add to yours.

Answer 2

You need a TV Tuner card like one of these:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/TV_Cards.html
installed on a spare PCI slot on the motherboard