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My satellite dish hung on my balcony for six years. Last month, I took it down and I don’t miss it at all. Once a hallmark of Polish homes abroad, these days, it increasingly ends up in the basement.
Above all, how we watch has changed. Instead of a single TV in the living room, we have a phone in our pocket and a laptop on our desk. For many of us scattered across Europe, online television has simply become more convenient than cable and antenna.
How are viewers’ habits changing?
For years, the choice was simple: satellite or a set-top box from a provider. The problem is that both have the same drawback. They tie you to one flat and to one box under your television. And life as an expat rarely stands still. A change of job, a move, a trip to visit family on the other side of the country. And suddenly, the aerial you spent half a day installing becomes useless.
At the same time, internet television has become second nature to people, as high-speed internet is now available almost everywhere. Nobody wants to sit around waiting for a programme to be broadcast at 8 pm any more. We prefer to watch whatever we fancy whenever we have a spare moment – whilst queuing at the till, on the bus, or during a coffee break.
Satellite TV or the internet: what to look out for
How can you even compare them? I usually look at four things: how much it costs to get started, whether I can take it with me, how many channels I get, and how user-friendly it is. Satellite wins on the number of channels, but that’s where its advantage ends. It requires installation, equipment and is tied to a specific address. Internet TV turns this logic on its head. All you need to get started is an account and a device that you carry in your pocket anyway. If you simply want to see what online television is like, go to https://orzel.tv and compare the range of channels on offer with what your old satellite dish provides. For many people, the moment they watch their favourite channel on their phone for the first time whilst on a tram is a bit of a revelation.
When choosing a service, don’t be swayed by advertising slogans – look at the details instead:
- An archive of recordings so you can catch up on what you’ve missed.
- The number of devices the service will launch on at once.
- The chance to try out the service before you pay.
- Easy access to customer support if something goes wrong.
Good Polish TV streamed online runs just as smoothly on a big TV as it does on your phone in bed. That might sound a bit boring, until the app freezes on you during a match on your first evening.
A modern solution in practice
Of all the services I checked out, «Orzel.TV» impressed me the most. Not because it has the most high-profile advertising, but simply because it works exactly as it should. Orzel’s whole philosophy boils down to convenience. No aerial on the balcony, no box in the cupboard, no fitter turning up on a Wednesday between 8 am and 4 pm.
You log in via your Smart TV, mobile phone or web browser and get access to Polish channels. What I appreciate most is the archive, as I work shifts and rarely manage to catch programmes live. What’s more, the service works brilliantly on several devices at once, so no one has to fight or argue over the remote for the only TV in an expat household. As for prices: the packages vary enough that everyone can find something to suit their budget and the number of channels they want.
I’ve compared the available options myself, spending hundreds of hours on it, and take my word for it: this is the best television via the Internet you can get today whilst living abroad. You’ll be watching your first programme just a few minutes after creating an account, without having to wait for a courier or for technicians to come and install a satellite dish any minute now – except that it’ll actually happen in about a year’s time.
My only sensible piece of advice to end with is the same as what our mums used to tell us when we were children: first, ‘try it out for yourself’. Start with a trial period to see if it really suits you, or if you’d rather waste your time and money on a satellite dish. For me, this kind of Polish online television is simply the more convenient option these days.