London, England - 12 February 2008 - Setanta Sports, the pay-TV broadcaster, has teamed up with Hauppauge Digital, the TV-on-a-PC specialist, to bring premium live sports to desktop and laptop PCs. Owners of a computer with a TV tuner card can plug Hauppauge's new pay-TV card reader into their PC to enjoy live Barclays Premier League games, the FA Cup, World Cup qualifiers, boxing, rugby, racing and golf.
The new Hauppauge-Setanta card reader package, available for £99 inc VAT exclusively in Currys and Dixons, includes a card reader, a Setanta viewing card and the first month's subscription (saving £19.99). It upgrades computers with a WinTV Freeview or satellite tuner card to unscramble pay-TV in full-screen digital quality.
"Setanta is a great way to enjoy live sports, including Premiership matches, for under a tenner a month, and without an annual subscription," commented Yehia Oweiss, Hauppauge Digital's Vice President of Sales EMEA. "We see this as the perfect add-on for a PC in a home office or bedroom. Of course, the viewing card can also be shared with other set-top boxes in the house, widening its appeal."
Unlike other premium sports broadcasters, Setanta is paid for monthly and does not require an annual subscription. The £9.99 monthly fee is less than a third of rivals' subscriptions, and the setup fee is considerably lower.*
The new package includes a Hauppauge WinTV-CI USB unit, a Setanta CAM and viewing card and Hauppauge's WinTV software. Owners will also require a Hauppauge digital TV card. These are available separately, from £30, including both PCI and USB: WinTV-HVR-900, WinTV-HVR-1300, WinTV-HVR-3000, WinTV-HVR-4000 (not S2 channels), WinTV-NOVA-T-PCI, WinTV-NOVA-T-USB2, WinTV-NOVA-SE2, WinTV-NOVA-S-Plus, WinTV-NOVA-S-USB2.
* compared with SKY Sports package £34/month + £129 initial setup fee.
