ᐅ Television – the Challenge of Choosing

Good evening,

how have you handled TV reception in your homes? Nowadays, there are many options:

Cable
Satellite (SAT)
SAT over IP
Internet-only

I’m really considering my options. The Internet connection available is 50,000 kb/s, which should be enough to supply everything solely via the Internet, which would save quite a bit of effort. However, if the Internet goes down, you can’t watch TV at all.

What I just discovered is SAT over IP. Does anyone have experience with this? It seems like a great solution to me. In this system, only one cable runs from the LNB to an IP converter. This converter is then connected to the router. This way, any network outlet can be used to supply a TV signal. Of course, an appropriate receiver is needed. With the corresponding apps or software, it is apparently also very easy to watch on any PC or smartphone. I think that’s great. Since I’m already planning the network locations for all possible TV spots, this could save the entire satellite cabling.

Has anyone worked with this system?

So, we have now only contracted Telekom, including a TV package. Although we have satellite sockets installed everywhere, as far as I understand, the TV service is provided via the internet.

Some neighbors around me laughed when I installed a satellite dish on my roof and all praised how great IPTV supposedly was. Meanwhile, almost everyone now has their own satellite dish. Satellite over IP is still in its infancy.

I also think satellite is better; streaming over the internet requires significant bandwidth, and during peak times, internet speeds can already be slow depending on the location. Satellite over IP is not exactly new. I have a compromise solution: as a precaution, satellite cables are installed everywhere (which doesn’t cost much), but my satellite receiver in the living room has full network functionality. This means you can stream any live programs, watch recordings, or record shows from anywhere in the house via LAN or Wi-Fi on a PC, tablet, or smart-enabled TV. However, this depends on the number of users—many can watch live simultaneously, but recording or watching recordings has limits because eventually the hard drive runs out of capacity.

I didn’t say it was new...

There are already many commercial devices that support this, but if you want to use Sat over IP, you should rely on a well-developed, preferably wired LAN. I believe there are many tests available, but the best would be a short user report from someone who actually uses it. Otherwise, it’s just hearsay 🙂