Using iMac as a TV monitor?

[mzkillabeatz]

How Can I use to watch my DirectTV cable box on my iMac 21.5 2012 version? Basically I would like to use my iMac as a TV monitor for my cable box with the HDMI cable connection point. I want to double the iMac In my kitchen as A TV screen to watch live TV from my cablebox as well as a desktop computer. i know can just buy a TV but if this is possible for cheap why do that?

I've come across the elgato game capture but unsure if it's too much for my needs. Maybe there's a simple solution.

 

[jerwin]

I looked on amazon, and found this:

The mention of "unencrypted HDMI" suggests that you might run into hdcp problems, as DirectTV likely encrypts its outputs.

 

[cschmeer]

You may be able to strip the HDCP signal with a cheap HDMI splitter from Amazon before running the DirectTV box into a capture card.

 

[mzkillabeatz]

Is there a simpler solution to using the iMac as a monitor without going through all this trouble? Thanks in advance!

 

[BrianBaughn]

Is there a simpler solution to using the iMac as a monitor without going through all this trouble? Thanks in advance!

No. Sorry.

Is it not an option to stream DirectTV via a web browser?