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A solid program with the highest channel count and some great channels. But has a really unfriendly interface that lacks a way to manage and sort available channels.
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PRODUCT SCORE
84% |
| Date reviewed: | 27th July 2006 |
| Product Name & Link | Satellite TV For PC |
| Price | Pro Version: $39.95
Elite Version: $49.95 |
| Number of channels | Pro Version: 2800
Elite Version: 3000 |
| What does this software do? | Satellite TV For PC Pro is a downloadable program that lets you watch TV stations on any desktop or laptop computer. It does not require any hardware other than what's already on your computer. After installing and running it, you get a list of national and international TV stations you can watch. Double clicking a TV station brings it up in a media player with full audio and video.
Note: Satellite TV for PC is available in a Pro or Elite version. The difference is that the Elite version has 200 more channels. But the software is exactly the same. |
| Buying notes | I was pretty skeptical when it came to buying this software. I mean I just couldn't imagine that you'd download some software and wham - you're watching satellite TV on your PC. OK, I admit - I was also excited. I use my computer for work and the idea of watching TV while 'working' is highly appealing.
So I took the plunge and whacked this product on my credit card. Hell, it's had some stick this month. I'm not looking forward to my next bill! Buying was pretty easy. Sounds obvious - but a lot of sites out there selling products are so bloody complicated that I don't ever manage to make a purchase. Crazy, huh? There was no need to register, signup, or log in. It was a short, easy form. The only caveat I have is that the product was priced at $39.95 and the charge is $46.94. This is due to a sales tax. I don't know if that's just because I'm in the UK. Anyway, it's not too bad as long as this product works as it's meant to. :-) |
| Downloading and installation | After you've punished your credit card it's time to download the software. You also need the latest version of Windows media player. (Check my 'TV Toolbox' section). But this is something most of us have anyway. No sweat. The software you're buying here is one setup.exe and it's about 10 meg in size. You run that and input a password that you get when you sign up. So far, so good. |
| What I liked | Massive number of channels
Wowsers, there's a lot of stations here to keep you busy. The Elite version has around 3000 while the pro version has around the 2800 mark. The stations are broken down into Country and the software interface makes it pretty easy to browse through countries and channels you want to watch. There's channels in sports, entertainment, news, education and much more. Easy to use software Unlike some of the packages I tested, this software IS really a bit of software. It's not just a webpage or a 'how to' guide. A simple drop down menu lets you choose channel locations and there's a handy button to take the display full screen. Fast, high quality video When you open the video streams they start just about straight away. As with all the PC TV offerings I've tested, some of the channels are 'broken' but that's normal with such a high number. It was very easy to find good quality channels to watch. |
| What I didn't like | Slightly dull interface
Not that this is a terribly important point, but the default gray cream colour used in this software could definitely use a lick of paint. This is an entertainment product after all. Not a business application. No way to bookmark favourite stations It would be nice to have a way to add a bookmark of some kind to favorite channels. At the moment you have to either remember the ones you like the most or, more wisely, make a note of them. |
| Strengths |
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| Weaknesses |
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| The verdict | This is a great package if you want a huge number of interesting channels to watch on your PC. And I really do feel it's worth the money. There's so many channels in a lot of different categories that it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't find what they're looking for with this software.
The main drawback is that the interface is pretty ugly and doesn't let you do much. You can't sort channels in any other way than by country. And there's no way to add bookmarks to stations you want to come back to. |
| Refund details | ClickBank offer a complete 8 week refund for this product if you decide it's not for you. Full details are included in the email confirmation you'll receive after purchasing the software. |
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