Decisions, Decisions…How Does Satellite TV Work, and Is It Right for You?
With the cost of cable television constantly on the rise, more and more people are making the switch from cable to satellite. Perhaps you are one of those people who are at least considering it. Of course the obvious question is: “Do I really want to go with satellite instead of cable?” The satellite companies will tell you, “Of course you do!” The cable companies will tell you, “Oh no! You don’t want to do that!” And each will give you horror stories about the other. Sometimes the best way to make an informed decision is simply by understanding how something works. Once you see how satellite TV works, you can decide for yourself if it will work for you.
Satellite TV In the beginning…
Satellite dishes have come a long way since the days of huge antennas. Back then, the average antenna was twice the size of a picnic table umbrella and something only the most diehard television fan would dare use. One big advantage of the old satellite system was that it gave viewers a glimpse of a lot of things that broadcasters didn’t want people to see. Back then, dish users could watch live feed between broadcast stations, and unguarded “off-camera” moments during commercial breaks. Thanks to advancements in technology, the old days of satellite TV are over. You can’t watch the unguarded moments anymore, but then again you don’t have to set aside a huge part of your yard for a monster antenna anymore, either. Today, the average satellite antenna is no more than 18 inches across and can be mounted almost anywhere. Satellite TV is also much easier to use. It’s no more difficult than a cable TV hookup, and often much cheaper.
Satellite Dish Anatomy
A satellite dish consists of two parts: the reflector, and the feed horn. The reflector is the concave dish-shaped part of the antenna. This is the part of the antenna that captures and focuses the satellite signal onto the feed horn. The feed horn is the part of the antenna that is mounted on an arm that sticks out from the dish. It takes the signal and feeds it through a cable to your satellite receiver, the box that sits in your living room. Newer satellite dish designs feature multiple feed horns. This is so the dish can pick up signals from several satellites and clearly focus the captured signal on one of the several feed horns.
In order to provide a clear signal, the feed horn has a feature known as a low noise block down converter (LNB). The LNB does two things: It amplifies the signal received from the satellite provider, and filters out ‘signal noise,’ radio signals that do not carry the satellite provider’s programming.
Satellite Providers Such as DirecTV and Dish Network Send Their Signals Wirelessly, Just Like Broadcast TV Does
There is one signficant difference, however. Broadcast television providers send their wireless signal via land-based antenna. Antennas send their signals in a straight line. To receive the signal, you must be in an antenna’s line of sight. In other words, you have to be in a straight line from the boradcaster’s antenna.
Now here’s the problem: We live on a round planet. So, if you’re broadcasting from the ground in a straight line on a round planet, what happens? Your range is severely limited. Throw in some mountains, valleys, and those pesky skyscrapers and you only compound the problem. One solution is to build tall broadcast towers on high ground, but you can only go so high.
So how does satellite TV deal with the problem? Satellite TV eliminates the tower and limited range problem by using satellites located about 22,000 miles above earth. That’s slightly further than the trip to grandma’s house, and definitely taller than any land-based broadcast tower. Broadcasting from 22,000 miles high straight down upon a round earth dramatically increases the line of sight, meaning that the signal covers a much larger range of subscribers.
So How Does the Satellite Keep Contact With My Dish Antenna? Through the Magic of Geosynchronous Orbit.
Actually, it’s not magic at all. It’s physics. The best way to demonstrate it would be for you to try, or imagine, this little experiment:
Notice that as you spin, the bucket more or less stays in the the same position relative to you. A satellite in geosynchronous orbit does relatively the same thing. The satellites in a satellite TV system are launched into space at approximately 7,000 miles per hour and at a distance of over 22,000 miles above the earth. At this speed and distance, it takes the satellites twenty-four hours to circle the globe. What does that mean? It means the satellites keep pace with the rotation of the earth, so like your bucket, they stay over the same spot as the earth turns. That’s nice. So what? Because the broadcast satellites maintain a geosynchronous orbit over the earth, your Dish Network or DirecTV installer just has to focus your satellite dish on one spot in the sky (where a satellite is), and that’s it.
Getting the Satellite TV Signal
Today, the average satellite TV user gets his programming from a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) provider. The two main DBS providers in the U.S. are DirecTV and Dish Network. When you subscribe to one of these providers, you get what is called a direct to home (DTH) satellite system, which consists of the following five parts:
Satellite Television is 100% Digital
This is one of the big advantages that satellite TV has over cable. Cable can offer digital TV, but not all of it’s offerings are digital. Satellite TV, because of the way it is delivered to your home, is all digital. Here’s how it works…
Satellite providers get their content from a mix of sources, both local and global. The global content comes from what are known as “turnaround” channels. They include content providers such as CNN, TLC, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, ESPN, etc. Turnaround channels have their own geosynchronous satellites to which they beam their content. Satellite providers, like DirecTV and Dish Network, use large antennas at their DBS centers to collect this content. To get content from local channels, the process works a little differently. Local content providers typically do not broadcast their signals to satellites. To get their content, satellite providers must set up facilities in local broadcast areas and receive the signals by fiber-optic cable or antenna. From there, the content is sent to the satellite provider’s DBS center. The whole global and local package results in a mix of analog and digital signals. For satellite broadcast, all of these signals are converted into a high-quality digital stream. In order to be handled by the satellite, this stream is compressed using MPEG-2 video compression, and beamed to the provider’s satellite. Then it is sent to subscribers’ homes where the signal is decoded by the receiver, resulting in a high-quality digital image.
Some Honest Questions and Answers
It’s Your Decision
Whether you choose cable or satellite is ultimately your decision. They both have their pros and cons. But now that you have an understanding of how satellite TV works, you can make that decision based on real information, rather than hype.
Glenn Haertlein is teacher and freelance writer. To see his websites visit:
http://www.imglenn.net
-or-
http://www.learnmoreabout.net
What is ethics? When do we cross the line between right and wrong and who…
You've finally decided that acting is something you'd like to take up. Phenomenal! Acting is…
Deciding the best Will Smith movies of all time is not an easy task, because…
How to be a Good Housewife Part 14 - women's roles in the 1950's So…
Comic book collectors tend to have stacks of longboxes. These white, heave cardboard boxes can…
I was never a bird-person, but I always wanted chickens for eggs and meat. As…
This website uses cookies.