Recommended Direct tv Products | Other Direct tv Articles Is Satellite TV Better than Cable?
Question: Is Satellite TV, Such as Dish Network, Really Better Than Cable? As the war in video entertainment continues, one thing is for sure: satellite television is here to stay. When the
Are Online Satellite Dish Promotions for Real?
How to find the best deals and avoid fraudulent websites and potential problems. Over the last few years many people are choosing satellite over cable or newwork TV because of superior picture qual
DirecWay Satellite Internet - No Phone Or Cable Required!
DirecWay® satellite dsl service is a new and exciting way to access the internet with high speed. No cable or telephone lines to depend on because this internet service is delivered by satellite!
Proposed DirecTV and DISH Network Merger
It was in October 2001 that General Motors Hughes (Parent company of Direct TV) and EchoStar Communications Corp., trader of Dish Network agreed to a merger. The new company would have improved the se
High Definition Television - Who Has The Lead In The Satellite TV Market?
Directv HDTV versus the high definition option through your satellite dish network. Which do you go with? In many ways, Direct TV and the Dish Network are comparable like with similar programming a
| |
An Introduction to Direct Satellite TV
What is satellite television? This technology allows consumers to receive television content that is transmitted to the Earth from an orbital communications satellite. The signal originates from an “uplink station” on the ground, is “bounced” off of an orbiting satellite, then received by a home satellite dish which sends the programming into a receiver box within the consumer’s home.
Satellite technology is useful because traditional broadcast signals are limited by the curvature of the earth and the interference of obstacles that block “line of sight” reception. Now that United States satellite TV companies have refined the technology and made the price competitive with cable television, it is becoming a very popular alternative for American television viewers.
Unlike early “television read-only” dishes from the 1980s, which were huge, motorized and expensive, the modern satellite dish is compact and even stylish. They are easy to mount unobtrusively on the side or roof of a home or business. Because the satellites use geosynchronous orbits to remain in one place in the sky, relative to the Earth, the stationary dishes do not require noisy or expensive motors.
There are a handful of “direct broadcast satellite” (DBS) or “Direct-To-Home” (DTH) providers in the United States that market subscription packages similar to those offered by cable television companies. These companies provide a high-quality digital signal carrying two types of programming: nationwide “turnaround channels” like HBO or ESPN, and channels from local affiliates of networks like NBC or PBS. Each type of programming is prepared in different uplink centers on the ground, then compressed, encrypted, and transmitted to the satellites.
The DBS/DTH companies may rent, sell, or lend consumers a small bowl-shaped receiving dish and a satellite receiver box, which focus, filter, and decrypt the satellite TV signal, then convert it to an analog or HDTV signal that can be played on any compatible television.
The Dish Network and DirecTV are the two primary DBS providers in the United States. A high-definition alternative called Voom was dissolved in 2005, and many of its HDTV channels have since been picked up by Dish Network. There are a few smaller American companies offering unencrypted “free-to-air” channels, mostly aimed at relatively narrow ethnic markets (GlobeCast, Home2US) or religious markets (Glorystar, Sky Angel).
|