Another way

I've written about Spanish terrestrial TV, Digital + and English TV via a large dish with a free to view box.

There is another way to get TV which you might want to consider.

Those of you who have a Telefónica phone line can opt for the Trio package which includes all your national calls, a 6Mb Internet connection and television.

What you get is a set top box which plugs into an Internet router. So with this system you would receive TV via your Internet connection - sharing the bandwidth between the TV and your computer.

Before you opt for this system, you need to plan how you might site the various components. For example; if your television and your computer are in different rooms then you will either need a wireless bridge to your computer or better still a network cable between the rooms. You will also need a phone connection near to the TV for the router.

There are two packages available: Imagenio / Canales Imagenio TV Conexión and Imagenio / Canales Imagenio TV Familiar. There is also the possibility to add further programmes to either package. Looking at the lists will tell you what programmes are available for you to watch. To be fair there is not much on offer in the cheaper package. There are a few English/American channels in the more expensive package though. However, most of the channels in either package are inevitably Spanish. Some will give you the option to choose the language.

What you won't get are any of the Sky programmes. Nor will you get ITV 1, 2 etc and BBC 1, 2 etc since neither are licensed for rebroadcast here in Spain.

As for price:-

For the basic package: There is an installation price of 72€ which you pay in three instalments. The first three months are charged at 12.90€ and then 43.90€ per month. NB this is in addition to your basic line rental and ADSL maintenance charge.

For the familiar package the installation cost is the same but the first three months are charged at 19.90€ and then 52.90€. NB With this package there is an additional rental charge of 6.50€ per month for the decoder. As with the basic package, you also have to pay the line rental and ADSL maintenance charges on top of this. As a little plus, you get a free MP4 player as a gift with this deal.