If you already own a tuner, such as AverMedia's AverTVHD Volar Max, just install the latest drivers, disconnect your antenna, and replace it with your cable-TV coaxial cable. You'll need to restart Windows and then run through Media Center's signal-setup process, which you can find under Tasks, Setup, TV, TV Signal, Set Up TV Signal. Don't be surprised if you actually gain some additional channels compared with what you received from the antenna alone.

If you're in the market for a tuner add-on, check out the , which includes two ClearQAM-compatible tuners. Instead of plugging directly into one of your PC's USB ports as most tuners do, the HDHomeRun connects to your router. Once attached, this "network tuner" lets you watch and record live TV on any Windows Media Center-equipped system in your house. It runs about $150.

Works in: 7 Although Windows Media Center does a pretty good TiVo impression with its , you typically need at least one TV tuner to watch and record live shows. If your PC doesn't have a tuner, however, you can just stream shows on demand--the Windows 7 version of WMC makes that possible, though it doesn't exactly have a Hulu-like selection of programs.

To get started, click TV, Guide; you'll see an entire grid of Internet TV, headlined by CBS Primetime and CBS Classic. Within those two categories you'll find everything from The Amazing Race to Twin Peaks, all ready for near-instant streaming (WMC will need to perform a couple of one-time updates before you can watch anything). Alas, while CBS offers full-length episodes of shows like NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife, you'll have to settle for mere clips of The Big Bang Theory and others. The same goes for most of the non-CBS shows mixed into the News, Comedy, Drama, Movies, and Sports categories.