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!!!!!
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.