# Satellite TV on a PC **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-on-a-pc/360950 "2006-06-16T16:44:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-on-a-pc/360950/1 "2006-06-16T16:44:52Z")
Is this legit? Is it a scam? Does the quality suck? Seems almost too good to be true (and we know what that usually means). Anyone have experience with this (or something like it?) [http://www.satellitetvtopc.com/o/?hop=hopnet](http://www.satellitetvtopc.com/o/?hop=hopnet) ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-on-a-pc/360950/2 "2006-06-16T18:12:11Z")
Well, there were 2 things that I noticed. 1). In the list of “you will get stations from the following countries”, the US was not listed, so there will be no HBO, Sci-Fi, TLC or other common cable channels you are used to. 2). It says all video is streamed over the net. Have you tried watching streaming video? It is fine for a 2-3 minute clip but I wouldn’t want to watch a 2 hour movie like that. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-on-a-pc/360950/3 "2006-06-16T18:13:33Z")
I take back my #1 above, the US is on the list - but I don’t see a list of channels anywhere, so I still doubt the more popular channels will be available. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-on-a-pc/360950/4 "2006-06-16T18:28:25Z")
That is what makes me most suspicious. There is no channel list at all and no specifics about channel quality such as bit rate, and resolution, nor even any decent screenshots. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-on-a-pc/360950/5 "2006-06-16T18:33:54Z")
Notice, too, that they talk about “sports” - baseball, football, soccer, basketball - with no mention of _Major League_ sports. Although I must admit, this is tempting Now you can literally download an extra TV. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-on-a-pc/360950/6 "2006-06-16T19:45:46Z")
> [@Papermache Prince](#): > > Although I must admit, this is tempting > Now you can literally download an extra TV. Sweet. Does it come out of my floppy drive or what? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-on-a-pc/360950/7 "2006-06-16T20:25:23Z")
I dunno. Looks pretty suspicious to me. Look at that Window logo on the box. The product box is turned away from us at an angle, but the Windows logo doesn’t appear to have any perspective to it. Plus, the one on the spine of the box isn’t oriented correctly; it’s 90 degrees out. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-on-a-pc/360950/8 "2006-06-16T20:50:24Z")
Almost definitely a scam. Red flags are popping up all over the place on this one. 1.) They’re selling it from an amateurish and sloppy web site. 2.) One of the company’s other offerings is for “Data entry jobs paying $1000 a day.” :rolleyes: 3.) Other than an email address, the site lists no contact information for the company. 4.) The site claims that their package is sold for $150 in various retail stores. If you can find a single store selling the boxed software online, then you’re a better searcher than I. 5.) Google searches on it reveal almost nothing besides their own advertisements and a single, almost-certainly fake review that’s been spammed all over the place. If it was ANY kind of decent software (especially one, which as the site claims, has over a million users), you’d see a **lot** more mention of it than that. 6.) I’m unable to find a download or even any reference to it on software piracy sites, and believe me, those guys release _everything_. It’s impossible to believe that teenagers who are pirating a dozen different types of accounting software just for the hell of it wouldn’t jump all over this if it were really everything it claimed to be.