With more and more PC manufacturers re-branding their computers as 'media hubs' it was inevitable that your humble PC and Freeview would link up at some point.
It looks like Microsoft and tuner manufacturer Haupage are the first to come up with a solution, in an update to its Windows Media Center TV Pack, which was shipped out with all Windows Vista-based PCs last July.
The new pack, which is being debuted at this year's International Broadcasting Conference (IBC) in Amsterdam, from 12 September, allows users to access Freeview's subscription-free TV channels on their computer, without the need of a Freeview set-top box.
Ability to record
Speaking about the new pack, Ken Plotkin, CEO, of Hauppauge, said: "The expansion in service of Freeview digital terrestrial TV has created consumer demand for more advanced PC-TV solutions.
"Our Freeview-certified dual tuner, WinTV-HVR-2200, provides Windows Media Center with the ability to record one Freeview digital TV programme while it displays another TV programme on the PC screen."
