| Satellite television is a fairly recent technology that | | | | These satellite TV companies provide a |
| allows a household to receive television content | | | | high-quality digital signal carrying both national |
| via transmission from a communications satellite. | | | | "turnaround channels" -- including popular pay |
| The essential components are the satellite itself - | | | | channels like HBO and Showtime and free content |
| a multimillion-dollar expenditure for the broadcast | | | | like Lifetime, MTV, and ESPN - as well as local |
| company - and the home satellite dish, something | | | | affiliates for networks like ABC or PBS. These |
| the average consumer can acquire for about fifty | | | | two types of programming are compressed, |
| dollars, or even receive for free as part of their | | | | encrypted, and then aimed at the satellites from |
| service subscription package. | | | | separate uplink centers on the ground. |
| Why bounce information off of a satellite? | | | | The most popular direct broadcast satellite |
| Traditional broadcast stations are limited by the | | | | providers in the United States are the Dish |
| curvature of the earth and by obstacles that | | | | Network and DirecTV. They provide a parabolic |
| interfere with "line of sight" reception, causing lack | | | | receiving dish, which focuses the incoming signal |
| of signal or distortion. Satellite TV overcomes | | | | onto a "feedhorn", which then passes it on to a |
| those obstacles with ease. | | | | "low noise blockdown converter", which filters out |
| In the early days of the technology, people used | | | | unwanted noise. The signal then gets passed to |
| huge, motorized backyard dishes to chase | | | | the satellite receiver inside the house, which |
| satellites across the sky and pull in free | | | | decrypts the digital signal, converts it to an analog |
| programming, but this dropped off sharply when | | | | or HDTV signal, and keeps track of the usage of |
| providers began to encrypt their signals. Now | | | | pay-per-view programs |
| there are several "direct broadcast satellite" (DBS) | | | | The receiver only allows the viewing of one |
| or "Direct-To-Home" providers that make it easy | | | | channel at a time; to watch or record other |
| for the average consumer to use a small | | | | channels requires additional receivers. However, |
| stationary satellite dish to receive subscription | | | | the receivers are highly customizable and often |
| programming from satellites which use | | | | include the popular "digital video recorder" |
| geosynchronous orbits to remain in one place in | | | | technology which allows digital recording, rewinding |
| the sky, relative to the Earth. | | | | and pausing during live programming. |