Why you should be excited about the Raspberry Pi TV HAT

Great news from the Raspberry Pi foundation: They announced an add-on for the Raspberry Pi with a DVB-T2 connection called the Raspberry Pi TV HAT.

This device enables you to receive and stream TV signal over your network using your raspberry PI. The add-in retails for a little bit less than 20 euros  and needs to be installed on the GPIO header of your Raspberry PI. Version 2, 3 or 3B+ is advised due to its processing needs. Regarding video broadcast standards, the HAT supports both DVB-T2 and DVB-T. This with reception in VHF III, VHF IV, and VHF V bands. DVB-T2 supported by the HAT is widely adopted in both Europe and Asia. In America however, it is not used because the ATSC standards have been adopted.

Viewing TV is not restricted to Raspberry Pi only: with a Raspberry Pi TV HAT connected to your network, you can view streams on any network-connected device. So you can steam your cable or satellite signal to other computers, mobile phones, and tablets. So this is a very cheap way to get your video signal everywhere. Instructions are already available on the official Raspberry Pi site.

You can order it via re-sellers listed on the official site. We are enthusiastic about the TV HAT and are going to order it and let you know our findings.