Hauppauge Digital has released a new add-on card to convert any PC into a satellite TV receiver as long as you've got a dish to connect it to.

Called the WinTV Nova-s, the device plugs into a spare slot inside any desktop PC or Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition PC and decodes signals from a satellite dish.

Owners will be able to receive all the BBC TV channels immediately, including One, Two, Three, Four, CBBC, Cbeebies and BBC News24. The BBC's radio channels are also available, including Radios 1 to 7. ITV services, including ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and Men&Motors will become available shortly, and more channels will be added early in 2006 when Freesat officially launches.

"Freesat will be the satellite equivalent of Freeview", said Yehia Oweiss, Managing Director of Hauppauge Digital. "Already broadcasting BBC, the service is be available to all UK households and bring free digital TV to the 25% who are outside Freeview's area. Consumers can buy our Freesat tuner now and enjoy many digital channels now, with more being added all the time".

The WinTV Nova-s is also compatible with HDTV (High Definition TV) and provides an EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) broadcast by Freesat and until the service launches next year an EPG via the Internet.

The Hauppauge WinTV Nova-s has a video input socket allowing a camcorder to be plugged directly into the PC. Home movies can be digitised into MPEG format, edited and then copied to DVD for preservation.

The card will cost £59.99 and is available now.

>> Hauppauge - Official website of Hauppauge