Some consumers consider a 21" LCD TV to be the perfect size: for TV viewing and for use as a computer monitor. Some take it one step further: they integrate their 21" LCD TV with a home theater PC. It's easier than you think, and a home theater PC setup lets you access any media files like digital image files, audio files, and videos. You can also watch your favorite television shows or DVDs, and you can even use the 21" LCD TV as a computer monitor. It's no surprise, then, that some consumers feel a 21" LCD TV is one of the most versatile screen sizes available.
If you watch digital TV on your 21" LCD TV, you could be already taking advantage of the possibilities of Digital Video Recorders (DVR) or TiVo. You can go one step farther; integrating your 21" LCD TV with a home theater PC setup is the ultimate in versatility. And it's not that hard – here are a few ways available to you.
1. Buy a PC with the Media Center version of Windows XP and make sure it has a TV tuner card capable of capturing digital signals from your cable or satellite box. Once it's installed, it works just like a DVR. You won't need to buy a high-end PC to integrate with your 21" LCD TV if you just want to record and play shows and movies – if you also want to play graphics-intensive video games, you may need a more expensive PC with greater graphics capability. Just make sure you get plenty of memory.
2. Upgrade your PC. You can buy a copy of Microsoft's operating system with Media Center. Frequently it comes bundled with a TV tuner card you'll also need. If you have decent computer skills you can handle the installation fairly easily and your 21" LCD TV home theater PC setup will be running in no time.
3. If you don't want to upgrade to a new operating system, a number of software companies produce applications that perform the same chores as Media Center does. A few are available as freeware, but the features they offer tend to be limited. You'll still need to factor in the cost of a TV tuner card – a TV tuner card won't be included with the freeware.
Once you've decided how to set up your computer, you can integrate it into your home theater system so your 21" LCD TV can handle the video feed you send to it. A 21" unit is ideal for this purpose; sets that are larger sometimes deliver reduced image quality when the TV signal is sent through the computer.
If you watch digital TV on your 21" LCD TV, you could be already taking advantage of the possibilities of Digital Video Recorders (DVR) or TiVo. You can go one step farther; integrating your 21" LCD TV with a home theater PC setup is the ultimate in versatility. And it's not that hard – here are a few ways available to you.
1. Buy a PC with the Media Center version of Windows XP and make sure it has a TV tuner card capable of capturing digital signals from your cable or satellite box. Once it's installed, it works just like a DVR. You won't need to buy a high-end PC to integrate with your 21" LCD TV if you just want to record and play shows and movies – if you also want to play graphics-intensive video games, you may need a more expensive PC with greater graphics capability. Just make sure you get plenty of memory.
2. Upgrade your PC. You can buy a copy of Microsoft's operating system with Media Center. Frequently it comes bundled with a TV tuner card you'll also need. If you have decent computer skills you can handle the installation fairly easily and your 21" LCD TV home theater PC setup will be running in no time.
3. If you don't want to upgrade to a new operating system, a number of software companies produce applications that perform the same chores as Media Center does. A few are available as freeware, but the features they offer tend to be limited. You'll still need to factor in the cost of a TV tuner card – a TV tuner card won't be included with the freeware.
Once you've decided how to set up your computer, you can integrate it into your home theater system so your 21" LCD TV can handle the video feed you send to it. A 21" unit is ideal for this purpose; sets that are larger sometimes deliver reduced image quality when the TV signal is sent through the computer.
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