The Amazing Technology Of Consumer Satellite TV
February 3, 2010 by Sam Bousaks
Filed under News & Reviews
Scientific types may want to turn away. This is a very short, yet interesting, explanation of how does satellite TV work. Even though it has become very popular in the last few years, satellite TV has been around for a long time. The first satellite for TV was put into orbit in\’62.
Back then people who wanted satellite for their televisions had to use a nine foot dish that they put in their back yards. They were really big, ugly, and gave an incredible variety of channels from other countries that made them totally worth the effort. Some people still have those dishes in their back yards. When somebody wants to get channels from a different country they call the neighbors to help them move the dish a tad. There were remotes included with the dishes but those were lost years ago.
The really great thing about these dishes, besides the fact that it was a great excuse not to mow half the back yard, was that you could get programs from other countries. For instance, someone in California could get programming from Canada. Or, when the satellites shifted you could get programs from other countries depending on which satellite you landed on.
Once the satellites became more popular, providers started shooting satellites with transponders up regularly. These geostationary satellites orbit at the same speed as the earth so they don\’t seem to be moving. This made reception even better and it was lots easier to find channels and countries because the satellites were identified. As people became more knowledgeable about where satellites were located they started creating their own programming guides. Those have now been replaced with the onscreen guides provided by the satellites.
Well, nine foot dishes just have never really caught on as a yard ornament in cities and they wanted satellite television also. So, satellite providers came up with little\’\” dishes that could be put just about anywhere on a house with a clear southern exposure and started beaming programs from all of the satellites to the dishes. No more calling the neighbors to move the dish, just a little dish stuck on the side of a building that was easy to move and 500 or so channels to choose from.
Cities had a problem with the little dishes because hardly anybody has an unblocked south view. That\’s when they came up with \”spot beams.\” So, the satellites shoot a signal to the spot beam, that shoots a signal to the dish, that shoots a signal to a television. Okay, it\’s way more scientific than that, but this is the short version, and you get the picture.
The system runs on radio signals that are sent digitally encoded. The guys figured out that they could send more channels through the same bandwidth using this strategies. This is why over five hundred channels are available at any time, twenty-four hours a day. Improvements and advancements continue to be made that are making the dishes smaller and more powerful. It\’s actually amazing how the whole system works.
So, for unscientific types that were wondering how does satellite TV work, there you have it. A really complex system that works really well.
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Summary Of The Advantages Of Satellite TV Deals
November 21, 2009 by Sam Bousaks
Filed under Entertainment
The growing demand for satellite in communities throughout the world has improved the technology and created a dish that is versatile and easy to use. The advantages of satellite TV provide users with simple, user-friendly systems that can be hooked up in areas where no cable connections exist or where there are cable connections.
Many individuals who live in a foreign country find that being able to watch programs in their native tongue is very comforting. There are satellite channels that broadcast in specific languages. A person may want a Chinese channel, a Russian Channel, or any of a number of language channels to receive current news, events, movies and programs in their native language.
With over five hundred channels, a person does not get bored with television. There are music channels, sports channels, and all of the movie channels available at any time for a basic fee. The service also provides several types of news channels, some of which provide raw news footage to viewers. Many of the channels that are included in the basic fee are only available through a cable provider at an extra charge.
As the world moves towards digital broadcasting it is important that satellite providers have already met that challenge. HDTV viewers will find that there are many HDTV channels available that provide crystal clarity. The digitalized stereo sound from the satellite system create the perfect medium for surround sound systems.
The conveniences of the system give several functions and features that cost extra through a cable provider. A person has parental controls and locks for all televisions, digital quality sound, and on-screen programming guides. Channels can be organized and grouped to make selecting stations is easier.
The dishes are placed on a south facing wall outside the home. When several televisions are going to be using the same dish they will watch the same movies and programs at the same time. However, if everyone watching a television in the home wants to control their own television viewing a dish for each television can be added to the south facing wall.
The dishes have been reinforced and made of materials which withstand severe weather changes. If a disruption occurs, the programs will resume as soon as the satellite connection is re-established. Normal changes in weather do not affect the dishes and they only become disrupted in extremely severe climates.
When a person wants to record a program, they can do so easily using the programmable DVR. A program can be recording on one channel while you are watching a program on another channel. Or, if several televisions are hooked up to separate dishes they can all record different programs at the same time. You can also set your DVR to record when you are away from home using the pre-programmable timer.
There are several levels of service for users. This makes one of the advantages of satellite TV the fact that it is not only affordable but provides options for additional services. Some local channels that do not broadcast via satellite will need special connections to be seen on a satellite unit. When a person wants satellite for these channels there is a small additional fee for these additions.
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