Computer TV - now or in the future?

Watching satellite TV on your desktop or laptop computers is something that is becoming more and more popular. The problem remains, however, that the quality of the viewing is still far behind that of the television, for technical reasons that the information technologists continue to work on.

The obvious and immediately recognisable reason that people wish to watch television from their computer is that subscription particularly sports and movies, can cost the viewer a considerable amount. These programmes are frequently streamed for no cost at all via the internet and, despite the relative lack of video and audio quality, many people are now logging into websites to watch programmes that they may otherwise have been unable to afford.

Many thousand of programmes are available for viewing. You will almost certainly need to download some special software to allow you to access the site in question. Some sites even require you to pay a signing up fee or even a regular subscription. Whilst this may seem irritating, it is sometimes the case that those sites that charge provide the best service. The difficulty is that you don’t know whether they do or not until you have already paid!

However, although the software is improving, the fact remains that your viewing experience will depend on the speed of your download – and forget even trying to watch television via your computer if you don’t have a broadband connection – and the size and quality of you computer’s monitor.