Free Satellite TV on PC Scam

Too Good to be True? You're Right!

My quest to get TV on my PC started with my purchase of a TV antenna for the PC. After the subsequent death of my computer, I was determined to find a solution with small, if any effect on my operating system. My conclusion? YouTube, a fair to poor solution as one is at the mercy of the person who uploaded the video – sometimes parts are edited or even absent. Nonetheless I got through the holiday season watching literally all of my favorite videos and some new ones too. I also had found Hulu TV, which has a limited selection but very short commercials. Then I started seeing ads for “Free” Satellite TV. I looked at a lot of these websites and finally found one with a free trial. Here's what I found out.

Software packages named "PC Sattelite TV", "Satellite TV Elite", "Satellite TV on PC", "Satellite TV for PC 2008 Elite Edition", "TV on PC Elite", "TV 4 PC" are all scamware. You pay anywhere from $15 to $50 and in return you'll get software that uses a fancy interface to link to online content that is free in the first place.

Satellite signals dont communicate with internet signals. You cannot stream a TV broadcast signal to your internet connection; This is the only way this kind of software could work, and it's not possible.

What this software (when it works) provides is a searchable list of websites that offer streaming video, sites that you could find for free with a quick search on Google or Yahoo. Or their software incorporates a search engine that finds movie and TV sites on the internet. You can make your own “software” by using a search engine query, and then bookmarking your favorite sites. If you buy this software, you will find that most of the stations listed are foreign, and that the list contains numerous obsolete or non-working entries.

Want proof? Download the demo version of Satellite TV for PC HERE The free trial will get you five minutes of searching to find which station actually works and does not require you to download realplayer. Then it will ask you for an activation code. 

Here is an EBay forum where most of the people reported terrible experiences with this kind of scamware. The ones who had good experiences reported that although some "channels" didn't work, there were thousands to choose from. They didn't realize that the program was just linking them to what they could have found with a little bit of work. 

Now the fun part – there are dozens of sites that tell you don't buy satellite software before you read their expose of that software, but guess what? They aer selling their own satellite software that does – you guessed it – the same thing as the software they are reviewing.

Here are some "free" sites that are advertised via Google Adsense (or even by folks on HubPages) - note that they are not links, so you can't click them.

tvforpc.com: I didn't dare click the links on this one – every other one was “adult”

watchtvonpc.com: this one wasn't reveiwed anywhere other than promotional ads, so I didn't visit. The best I can tell is that it is a toolbar that enables you to find stuff that already is on the internet. One site listed channels, and they were the same as the ones on the Satellite TV on PC software.

www.worldtvpc.com: This one is all adsense and clicks for cash – my guess is the hubber that put up this link owns the site. You can click on the links to get to your favorite shows, but as I said, you can do that yourself without lining someone else's pockets with google pennies.

DONT SIGN UP FOR JOHNQ TV! It is advertised via adsense... HERE is why: it is not streaming video - it is links to YouTube and if you say you are over 18, links to pornography!

If you are looking for streaming video of your favorite shows, try logging on to the station that broadcasts the show. They carry current and past episodes of the shows they broadcast, as well as news and other information. In addition your local network also may have an internet site. Here are some major network sites that provide streaming video:

If you don't see what you want there, try one of these sites. I only included sites that allow you to watch programming right on the site. These were the best ones I found:

Joost: This one has TV programs, movies, videos and clips. They show some commercials, but they're not intrusive. The selection is very limited, but you don't need any plugins to watch and the video quality is good.

Hulu: Hulu carries movies, TV programs and clips. The selection is somewhat limited and they show commercials during the videos. Video quality is average with a lot of buffering in some cases, and in others, the video fails to load or is not available. I have gone back later to find the video available. Not sure what caused the problem.

Veoh: This site posts teasers and requires you to download their software to view full movies or programs. They allow users to upload personal videos as well. If you have experience with this site, please comment! My understanding is that this is a trusted site.

Channel Chooser: I included this one because its handy. Nothing displays on the site, but they gathered links to TV station sites around the world. It helps to know the call letters of the station you are looking for – if you do, you can stay in touch with your hometown news from anywhere in the world! Some links require media software like Media Player 11.

WWI TV: This site says its been around for 10 years. One would hope that they updated their programming so that I did not have to download a plugin like Media Player 11, Real Player or Quicktime. There are channels that don't require Media Player, but the video quality is poor.

FANCAST: Here's the Comcast answer to Hulu, which shows brief advertisements during shows. It's clear, it's free and it has hundreds of shows – not just clips, which make up a lot of other sites' selections. You will like this one! Lots of shows, including cartoons (my favorite!), movie trailers and clips. Believe it or not, they link to sites like Hulu. They still show the videos on their own site, but the Hulu logo is displayed (and so are the Hulu ads!).

LIKETV: like television, but better. Vintage cartoons and programs. You can download classic movies and videos and there are more benefits with a premium membership. These guys make their own trailers – awesome and funny too. Look for the Trunk Monkey Theft Protection System. Try it, you'll like it.

In spite of what I have said, you may find an advertiser who says they really can deliver Satellite TV. Here are some things to look for:

Most bogus satellite TV advertisements have a few things in common. The majority I looked at were poorly written with numerous grammar and spelling errors.

Second, the supposed testimonial or review reads more like an ad. They don't discuss pros and cons, or how easy or difficult the software is to use. They don't post screenshots of the software in action.

One company's ad sounds like another - and a lot of them sound like private rights lablel articles whose author's command of English is awful.

Finally – the page is full of ads that bring you round in a circle to the same product – sometimes exactly the same, sometimes a different package wrapped round the same scamware.

I found one of these on another blog site and googled the site they were promoting - they published the same article in about a dozen other blog sites with the only change being the author's name.

These days almost anyone can create a "Satellite TV for PC" website. Most only have one intent - making you pay for their scamware. The typical price for most of these web sites is between $30-$60 for using their software. This is what you'll get: * Outdated directories & resources. * No customer service or tech support. * No refunds - Most of these websites won't respond to your refund requests, and they move on once their website gets shut down due to complaints. If you dig hard enough you'll find they've just started again under a new name. * Difficult navigation will make it hard to find the your channels.

If at last you do decide to order or download this software, here are some things to remember:

A Checklist For Choosing A Satellite TV for PC Site * How long have they been in Business? * Do they charge monthly fees? * How fast are the download speeds? * Do they have good customer service and tech support?

Once you've found the software you want, go to EBay and get it there. By comparison you will pay $5 - $10 and many of the dealers are reputable. But, if you are going to get this software, why not get if for free? Read on! 

2500 CHANNELS, REALLY FREE

Finally, here's the real deal: Miro is opensource (which for the non-techie means that it really is free) program that allows you to watch “TV” on your PC – there are at least 2500 channels. In addition the software allows you to download and save YouTube videos, and can read almost any video format. AND it really truly is free. Here's MIRO.

Now, there might be a legitimate means of getting satellite TV on your PC, but it's likely going to involve your subscribing to a satellite service and connecting something to your PC. It will be free, but only because someone in your household paid for the satellite service. You could also download a TV tuner software package for free on the internet, but you'll still need the TV tuner so it isn't free.