TV Tuner and Satellite TV (Directv)

[Kr1z]

I have an extra connection in my room that I can't cancel due to a contract we signed with Directv, but I never use it since I never really cared for TV...

But now I want to watch TV haha. I'm looking for some USB TV tuners, I can't use any internal cards as I don't have any more free slots on my motherboard.

Is there a difference between those cheap $10 usb sticks on ebay or those 50+$ ones?
I hear that satellite tv with tuners is a whole different story, and really don't want to jump on buying anything on I'm really sure.

Do I still need to use the receiver box that directv gave me to use the tuner? Is there any way to get rid of the box so I can just directly hook it up to the PC without any other device?

 

[danman]

Nope, there are no tuners for satellite. You need the box and use IR blasters.

 

[BackNBlack]

There are for Dish Network using the Direct TV dish, but it's not legal.

 

[Deleted member 176933]

Nope, there are no tuners for satellite. You need the box and use IR blasters.

Some of the direct tv boxes have USB ports on the back; you might be able to use them to change channels. I was able to with some usb > serial adapters.

edit: this was years ago now - not sure what box it was.
Software was Beyond TV.