# Can I have Picture-in-Picture with Satellite TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-picture-in-picture-with-satellite-tv/206034 "2003-10-07T11:55:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-picture-in-picture-with-satellite-tv/206034/21 "2003-10-07T22:12:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hail Ants \* > \*\*I’d just like to say that I’m a real tech-head & videophile and I’ve found that PIP is probably the most useless feature ever. The only reason its still around is that it looks really cool in the showroom. > > In over ten years of having it I’ve used it a grand total of once. I was watching a tape of something while waiting for a certain guest to appear on a talkshow. \*\* It is useful if you are a big sports fan. Personally I only like watching Chicago teams play and they rarely conflict such that two ‘must-see’ games are playing simultaneously. However, my roommate is from Pittsburgh and he wanted to watch a different game than I did (the Cubs run up to the playoffs). This was the only time I have ever used my PiP seriously but it was pretty cool (in my case I have a 16:9 aspect ratio TV so it cut the picture in half and put two screens up of equal size…a press of the button shifted audio). Other than that I agree with you and find it mostly useless. On very rare occasions I’ve used it to tune another staion while commercials were playing so I could swicth back when the show I was interested in was starting but mostly ti is not worth the effort. ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-picture-in-picture-with-satellite-tv/206034/22 "2003-10-08T01:55:36Z")
Well, lately the Patriots have been playing at the same time as the NASCAR races I enjoy watching. Mostly, I watch NASCAR to see the crashes, so I’d be perfectly happy to have that in the small PIP window while i watch the football game… Barry ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-picture-in-picture-with-satellite-tv/206034/23 "2003-10-08T02:45:35Z")
I like to play video games with sports or other things in PiP. Something interesting comes on, I rewind the TV, switch screens, and watch it. Alternatively, I load up an Atari game and play it in the PiP screen just to confuse people. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-picture-in-picture-with-satellite-tv/206034/24 "2003-10-08T03:59:05Z")
Does anyone remember the monster TV setup Jim Ignatowski bought from his hard-earned cabbie bux on _Taxi?_ Each of the multiple TVs lining the wall was tuned to a different program, like the ultimate PIPIPIP. And he said, “No matter what happens, anywhere in the world, you can always change the channel.” ---
**Author:** ![Garnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de0a6/32.png) [@Garnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garnet)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-picture-in-picture-with-satellite-tv/206034/25 "2003-10-08T07:29:45Z")
I use PIP all the time to play a video game on the main screen and listen to the news fom the PIP box. Now if only some enterprising manufacturer would just make “audio-only” PIP, or let me move the box all the way offscreen, I’d be all set. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-picture-in-picture-with-satellite-tv/206034/26 "2003-10-08T12:33:57Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Whack-a-Mole_ > These [satellite receiver] boxes are proprietary to the satellite provider so you do not see them built into televisions. I actually own an exception to this rule. I have a high definition wide screen television built by RCA that has an RCA satellite receiver inside the set. I don’t have a separate box. (Of course, the basement and bedroom televisions are not top-of-the-line so I had to buy satellite receiver boxes for them.) Prior to getting satellite I had cable. The only time I used PIP was when watching the Packers play. During commercials I’d switch to some other program until the commercial was over and play resumed. PIP was helpful to not miss any of the action. I have to confess that I don’t miss it much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-have-picture-in-picture-with-satellite-tv/206034.md?page=1)