A laptop with tv tunner can allow you to watch television shows and movies on your computer without a traditional TV set. These devices are USB-based and come in the form of a small dongle or a larger box that plugs into a spare USB port. They work by connecting to an antenna and broadcasting local networks and digital channels to your device. They also come with bundled software that makes it simple to navigate the features.
The most common external TV tuner cards connect to your laptop via a USB cable and work with Windows Media Center to manage over-the-air (OTA) or cable television broadcasts on the device. Some of these tuners have two built-in digital TV tuners, allowing you to record and watch different programs at the same time. Others have a single tuner and may support both digital and analog channels. Depending on the tuner model, it may also be able to capture frames from shows or record radio broadcasts.
To use an external tv tuner with your laptop, first make sure it is turned on and has finished booting. Then, plug the USB cable from the tuner to an available USB port on the device. Follow the prompts to install the hardware drivers and media software program. After the installation is complete, open the media software program and follow the on-screen prompts to configure the tuner to receive TV broadcasts from an antenna or cable TV source.