Is this legal?.... and is it free? Yes. Though that is a qualified yes depending on the specific television shows or movies you desire to watch. There are a range of methods to receive television content on your PC, including a high speed Internet connection, a satellite feed, a cable, or some combination of these methods. Before jumping in head first and setting satellite tv up on your PC, look at the true advantages of watching TV on your PC.

At present there are a lot of deeply ingrained cultural assumptions about what computers and televisions are for. Even though it is true that PC's are becoming more and more popular as an entertainment tool, playing computer games, surfing the web, chatting online etc..... they are still more closely associated with the workplace, and the idea of work in general. By contrast, the TV is associated with the domestic realm, and to some would even be considered the most relaxing space and activity to undergo in the home. Using a computer is generally an active experience, however watching TV is passive.... stretching out and laying on the couch....... or snuggling up in bed and catching a movie.

This much is clearer if you take a step back and look at the body positioning of someone using a computer compared to that of a person watching TV. In front of a computer, we are leaning toward it (often more than good posture would allow) and inputting directly onto an attached keyboard and mouse. In front of a TV, we are detached, sitting in our favorite recliner or couch, and inputting via a remote. Also, using the computer is thought of a solitary affair, while TV viewing is a family affair, or at least a more social one.

All this is changing of course, with television growing more and more interactive as it becomes digital (and, the opposite is true, with computers becoming more and more social with high speed connections bringing people together through real time text, audio, and video transactions).

So how has the viewing quality of satellite tv developed? Over recent years, home PC technology has seen a major re-development, making using a computer on a daily basis a much more enjoyable, flexible and efficient experience. As a result computers have become more and more a part of our everyday life, and now a more logical way to watch TV. The majority of households have converted from the old box monitors and monotone speakers to widescreen lcd and high quality surround sound speaker and sub packages. For more information on correctly upgrading the picture and audio quality from your PC, or simply connecting your computer with your existing television and stereo setup, read our information on home theater for your pc.

In saying this, convergence looks to be the magic word in terms of telecommunications media at work and play. And, if you don't mind blurring this distinction, convergence would be one of the most obvious benefits of setting up and receiving satellite TV on your household PC.

Convergence is not just about using the same device for business and pleasure, it's about doing an array of different tasks at the same time or from the same place. If you choose, you can simply let yourself become sidetracked and surf the new while watching a slowmoving sporting event, or during the adbreaks of your favorite television series. You may remember to pay a forgotten bill while you are watching the nightly business news. You might even want to look up a few reviews of a movie that's about to start but you haven't decided whether or not to sit through it. You would also be able to easily access and play media on your TV (audio or video) that is stored on your computer. In general, convergence creates a network between your own personalized communication devices - phone, computer, television - that effectively enables them to "talk" to each other.

It's the simple tasks you can achieve that make watching television on your PC a desirable option. You would accomplish all of the above multi-tasking by minimizing the TV content in a smaller window on your computer, while freeing up the rest of space for your other tasks. Of course, an adept multi-tasker may choose to watch one (or several) TV channels on multiple windows, while surfing the net, cooking dinner, and playing harmonica all at the same time.

Other benefits to watching TV on your computer arise from the ability to receive television shows that would be otherwise un-accessible for various reasons.

For example, with a high speed Internet connection and a media player (freely available software such as QuickTime or Windows Media Player), you can access some television content that may not otherwise be available to you in your location. The ability to watch remote content is then another benefit of watching TV on your PC. Such content might be foreign language programming that actually originates in a different country.

In addition, the television shows you enjoy and decide to watch online are not necessarily remote in a spatial sense; they can be "temporally" remote. For instance, you may be able to access a sports event that you would ordinarily receive much later in time through digital feeds that you can stream via the Internet.

Another common issue that watching TV on the computer solves is the ability to access shows that appeal to a smaller viewing market. Your computer opens up channels for content that falls outside what would be deemed mainstream or designed for the mass market. In this sense, it is a simple task to download TV that is said to be "narrowcast" - as opposed to broadcast - and designed to reach a multiplicity of smaller targeted audiences, rather than one massive homogenized one. Staunch advocates of narrowcasting believe that there is really no such thing as a mass audience anyway. Examples of niche marketing would include anything from religious sermons delivered in non-mainstream religions to cooking shows for, say, gluten-free vegans.

Before throwing out your old television set and coming over to the PC side, make sure you are actually going to use your PC TV technology, research your options, and find the most suitable satellite tv software for your needs.