Nowadays, with the rapid advancement of satellite tv technology, anyone can watch any TV programs around the world. You can even watch live TV coverage of major sporting events right in the comfort of your own home.

To watch satellite TV, you need specialized hardware known as PCTV cards installed on your PC in order to receive the satellite TV feed. There are 2 types, one is external, the other is internal. External PCTV cards usually comes in a box where you can connect it to the PC via USB. The other end will be connected to your telephone line or cable line depending on the type of broadband access you are subscribing. There are also wireless versions available.

The internal TVPC card will be installed into your computer via PCI or PCI Express slot.

The PCTV cards will decode the analog signals into digital signals so that you can watch TV or listen to radio on your PC.

The quality of TV channels will depend on 2 factors.

1) Broadband Speed

To enjoy good quality TV on your PC, you really need to have broadband speeds or DSL speed at least 512 kilobytes per second. The higher the broadband speed the smoother the quality of the Satellite TV channels.

2) Computer Configuration

Most PCTV cards have a minimum PC configuration. Typically, you need a Pentium III CPU at least 1GHz or above, 128MB of RAM, running on Windows 98/2000/XP and have at least 1 USB port for external PCTV cards. You would also need a CD-ROM to install the PCTV card drivers and the viewing software. You also need a sound card installed on your PC if you want audio.

Some PCTV cards also allows the ability to record shows on your computer but bear in mind, it requires a large amount of storage space be available on your hard disk.

Watching Satellite TV on your PC while simultaneously checking your email and surfing the internet is truly unique and totally cool.