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How to Watch a Live TV Show Using Windows 7’s Windows Media Center

Windows 7 is full of fun stuff to keep you entertained, from watching TV to viewing your photos. The Media Center offers you the ability to watch live TV, record TV shows, and watch Internet TV, all in one convenient entertainment hub. The Windows Media Center is even designed to connect with your home entertainment center so that you can take advantage of all the sophisticated home theater options.

Who needs a separate TV when the Media Center is completely capable of playing your favorite TV shows right on your computer’s lovely flat-panel display? You can watch Internet TV as well as live TV that’s being transmitted by any of the seemingly millions of TV stations.

1. Choose Start→All Programs→Windows Media Center.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. You can also press the green button on the Media Center remote control.
   2. Highlight TV on the Media Center main menu and then click the Live TV option.
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      1. Alternatively, you can press the Live TV button on the Media Center remote.
         Before you can watch live TV in Windows’s Media Center, your computer has to be equipped with a TV tuner card and hooked up either to your local cable system or to a satellite TV dish. You also have to go through Windows 7 Media Center’s Live TV Setup process.
      2. Select the channel you want to watch.
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         1. You can enter the channel number from the keyboard, by pressing the up and down arrow keys, or by clicking the Ch+ or Ch- buttons on the playback controls displayed in the lower-right corner of the Media Center window when you position the mouse pointer in this area.
         2. Adjust the volume.
            Click the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons on the playback controls area in the lower-right corner of the Media Center window or on the Media Center remote.
            The playback controls only appear when you position the mouse pointer in this area.
         3. (Optional) To record the show you’re watching, click the Record button on the playback controls displayed in the lower-right corner of the Media Center window.
            
            
            
            
         
         
         http://www.dummies.com/
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   

Set up a TV signal in Windows Media Center

    

  

Did you know that it's possible to watch and record live TV on your computer? All you need is Windows Media Center, a TV signal, and a compatible TV tuner device. To learn how TV signals and TV tuners can work together, see TV on your computer: Understanding TV signals and TV tuners.

Here are some things to keep in mind before setting up a TV signal in Media Center:

• Your TV tuner must be compatible with the TV signal connected to it. For more information, see TV signals that are supported by Windows Media Center.
• Signal types can change over time. For example, the NTSC signal type was phased out for over-the-air broadcasting in the United States in 2009. Your TV tuner must be compatible with the signal types available in your region.
• If you have multiple TV tuners connected to or installed in your computer, it's possible to set up multiple TV signals. This allows you to record shows on different channels at the same time.
• If you're using a hybrid TV tuner—a tuner that can be configured for an analog and a digital signal—Media Center might not be able to access both signals simultaneously.
  
  
  If your TV signal comes from a cable TV jack in the wall or an over-the-air antenna, follow these steps to set it up in Media Center:
  1. Connect your TV signal cable to the TV-IN jack on a compatible TV tuner on your Media Center PC.
     If your PC has more than one tuner, you can use a cable splitter to divide the TV signal, and then connect it to each tuner. This will enable you to record multiple programs simultaneously, or to watch a live program while recording another program. To receive a TV signal using multiple tuners, each tuner must have a TV signal connected to it, and the signal must be the same for each tuner.
  2. On the Windows Media Center start screen, scroll to Tasks, click Settings, click TV, and then click Set Up TV Signal.
  3. If you see a message saying that changing the settings will affect TV recording, it means you already have a signal set up. To go through the set up process again, click Yes.
  4. Follow the steps to set up your TV signal. These steps will vary depending on the type of tuner or tuners that you have, as well as the type of programming to which you subscribe.
  5. On the TV Signal Detection Result screen, if you see your tuner or tuners listed as expected, click Yes, configure TV with these results, and then click Next.
     If a TV tuner is not showing up on this screen, make sure that it's connected properly to your computer, and that you have the appropriate drivers installed. For more information, see Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly.
  6. On the TV Signal Provider screen, scroll through the list and click the signal provider that most closely matches your location and service, and then click Next.
  7. Click Finish.
     Many cable or satellite subscribers have a cable box (sometimes referred to as a set-top box) or satellite receiver. You can set up your TV signal to pass through one of these devices on its way to your Media Center PC.

     Cable boxes and satellite receivers can include channels that are either standard or high definition. In Media Center, a digital high-definition signal that is transmitted through one of these boxes will be converted to an analog standard-definition signal.
     1. Connect the cable from the cable source (wall jack) to the cable input jack on the cable box or satellite receiver.
        If you have two cable boxes or two satellite receivers that you want to use with Media Center, you can use a splitter to divide the TV signal from the wall jack to the boxes. Each cable box or satellite receiver must have a TV signal connected to the cable input jack.
     2. Connect a cable from the output jack on the cable box or satellite receiver to the TV-IN jack on the appropriate TV tuner on your Media Center PC.
        If your PC has more than one TV tuner, make sure each tuner has its own TV signal connected to the TV-IN jack. (This means that you'll need one cable box or satellite receiver for each TV tuner on your Media Center PC.)
     3. Connect an IR blaster to your computer and your set-top box. (An IR blaster is a small, infrared device that is packaged with many Media Center remote controls and TV tuners. For more information, see the documentation that came with your IR blaster.)
     4. On the Windows Media Center start screen, scroll to Tasks, click Settings, click TV, and then click Set Up TV Signal.
     5. Follow the steps to connect a TV signal, depending on the type of tuner or tuners that the cable is connected to, as well as the type of programming to which you subscribe.
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        http://windows.microsoft.com/