If you’re already a subscriber to Netflix, the DVD rental website, you also have access to a new feature they’re rolling out called “Watch it Now” which allows you to stream content from the Netflix site to your PC. And you can’t beat the price: free. Let’s take a look at what Watch it Now is, what it does, and how you can activate it on your account.

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You may have heard of MythTV, the free TiVo-like application that can handle just about all of your multimedia needs. It can record and play back TV shows, including HDTV programming. It can be used to view your pictures, your weather forecast, and your favorite RSS feeds. It can rip and play back your music CD’s and your DVD’s. It can even display the list of movies you have in your NetFlix queue.

And it only runs on Linux.

So what if you’re a Windows user who wants to find out what MythTV is all about? Up until recently your couldn’t, but now you can. Here’s how.

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Watch HDTV on your computers, not just on your TV

How many devices do you have in your house that are capable of displaying high-definition content but have no way of getting high-definition content? If you have an HD television you can use your TV’s tuner (or external cable/satellite box) to tune the HD signal. But what if you also have a computer? Or two? Or three? Those devices are probably also capable of displaying HD content but have no easy way of actually receiving HD content. So how do you get that HD content to each of them without having to buy a separate HDTV tuner card for each PC?

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Like most people, I watch television programs and movies on my TV, not on my computer screen. As with many things in life, however, I’ve learned to make this otherwise simple activity quite complicated through EUTOMASITAD (Excessive Use of Technology to Make Simple Tasks Difficult).

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