The DVR has a HDMI, a VGA and 2 USB ports. The 2 USB ports are for connecting a mouse and antenna, both included. A USB thumb drive (not included) is used to copy and store backup recordings. The antenna needs to be unplugged to plug in a USB thumb drive or other USB connected external memory. I normally view DVR recordings via a HDMI cable (included) connected to my TV/monitor (not included). These is no need to connect anything to a computer. However, I occasionally use a USB thumb drive to share a recording via email. In that case, I plug the USB thumb drive into a PC USB port to transfer a recording from the DVR.