Watch Sattelite TV on PC using USB
Using your PC to watch Sattelite TV is easier than you thinkMost people still use a conventional TV set and a set-top sattelite receiver to watch sattelite TV but it's fast becoming popular to watch satellite TV on your PC. More and more homes today are equipped with at least one PC and most of those pcs are perfectly capable of showing DVDs, streamed video and sattelite TV.
The PC is an extraordinarily versatile piece of equipment that will allow you to do just about anything you can think of when it comes to manipulating digital data and that includes watching satellite TV. So why aren't more people using satellite TV for pc? Why are most of us still using conventional TVs when we have computers that could do the same if not better job? I guess that people think it's difficult to set up a satellite on pc system.
Well it used to be difficult but not anymore. Switching from conventional TV set to pc can be as simple as plugging in a device to your computers USB port and installing some software.
If you want to watch satellite TV for PC remotely from anywhere in the world then you might want to read Satellite TV Free PC Viewing Over The Internet
Why would you want to use your pc to watch satellite TV?
Your computer is an amazing piece of equipment, which will allow you to watch satellite TV at the same time as doing many other things. Not only will it allow you to watch TV in a window while you use your PC for other things but, with the right software, it will provide you with all the tools you need to record, playback, live-pause, burn to DVD and much more.
It is true that there are modern TVs and set-top equipment available that provide this kind of functionality but that's all they do and it's unlikely that you will be able to upgrade them easily. If you use your computer then you will have access not only to the software available when you installed it but you will have the opportunity to upgrade when new software comes along.
The ability to watch satellite TV on your pc also means that you no longer have a need for a conventional TV and you may decide to replace your TV with a PC instead. You might already have purchased the last TV set that you will ever buy.
Free to Air (FTA) satellite broadcasts
Free to air satellite TV broadcasts are transmitted for you to enjoy without needing to pay any additional subscription or pay-to-view charges. Unless you live in the UK of course where you have to buy a TV licence no matter what TV broadcasts you receive.
The vast majority of satellite TV to PC solutions available are designed to receive FTA broadcasts, which can mean a lot of channels depending on where in the world you live. If you want to watch premium channels from your satellite TV provider then you will need a decoder to unscramble the signal. More about that in the article Descrambler - Satellite TV.
What is USB and which version do you need?
The short answer to this is "Make sure you get USB 2" on your PC. Most if not all modern PCs support it so you don't need to worry too much.
USB stands for Universal Serial Bus and comes in two main versions, version 1 and version 2. Version 1 was the first USB standard to be released and allowed for many peripheral devices to be added to your PC without needing to open the box and do some techy stuff.
USB 1 or 1.1 was a little slow however and didn't perform well when used for video applications. It will not support high definition TV (HDTV) at all.
USB 2 on the other hand has a maximum speed specification of 480 Mbps, which is about 40 times faster than USB 1.1. USB 2 is well suited to all kinds of video applications that you might want to use.
What you need to watch satellite TV on your PC
Most of the satellite to PC solutions are available for Windows ® only so that's what I'm assuming that you will be using.
PC System requirements
- Microsoft® Windows® XP
- Microsoft® DirectX9.0C or later
- Microsoft® Windows® Media Player 9.0 or later
- P4 2G MHZ CPU or above
- 256MB RAM or above
- VGA card with at least 32MB memory
- Sound card or on board sound chip
- One free USB 2.0 port
In addition to your PC you will need the following:
- Digital Satellite Dish & LNB
- USB satellite TV receiver with DVB-S
When you have installed, or had a professional install, your satellite dish and LNB you can connect the cable from the dish to your satellite TV receiver. The next thing to do is to install on your computer any software that came with your USB satellite receiver. Just follow the set-up instructions supplied with the receiver. When you have done that you can connect a USB cable, which is normally supplied with the receiver, into a free USB 2 port on your PC. Run up the software that you installed and away you go.
The disadvantages of using your PC to watch satellite TV
There are many advantages to using your PC for watching satellite TV but there are a few disadvantages too.
The USB satellite TV on PC solutions that I've looked at to date are suitable for viewing free to air broadcasts but if you want to subscribe to paid channels where all the good entertainment is then you will almost certainly have to use the decoder box supplied by your satellite TV provider. There are ways around this that I shall go into in a future article.
Unless you are going to be the only one viewing satellite TV on PC you will have to dedicate the computer to the function when people want to watch TV. This could get annoying if it's your only available PC.
At the time of writing conventional TV's seem to have better monitor options for TV viewing. These options are mainly to do with size. I expect that this restriction will become less and less of an issue in time.