Wednesday, August 24 2005 16:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Part 1- The Satellite Television

The inflow of different means

When television started with Cable TV, people stopped being crazy for the news @ 7 on Doordarshan. That was Cable TV, now we've a better option of satellite TV when we have the whole entertainment device to our-selves. The cable TV service operator would not bug you every month for money!

The evaluation

When satellite television first hit the market, home dishes were expensive metal units that took up a huge chunk of yard space. In these early years, only the most die-hard TV Fans would go through all the hassle and expense of putting in their own dish. Satellite TV was a lot more difficult than broadcast. Satellite television is a lot like broadcast television. It's a wireless system for delivering television programming directly to a viewer's house. Both broadcast television and satellite stations transmit programming via a radio signal for information about radio broadcasting.

Satellite television solves the problems of range and distortion by transmitting broadcast signals from satellites orbiting the Earth. The satellites, not so long ago, were exotic, top-secret devices. They were used primarily in a military capacity for activities such as navigation and espionage. Now they are an essential part of our daily lives. We see and recognize their use in weather reports, television transmission by DIRECTV and the DISH Network and everyday telephone calls.

In many other instances, satellites play a background role that escapes our notice. Since satellites are high in the sky, there are a lot more customers in the line of site. Satellite television systems transmit and receive radio signals using specialized antennas called satellite dishes.

How does it work

The television satellites are all in geosynchronous orbit, meaning that they stay in one place in the sky relative to the Earth. Each satellite is launched into space at about 7,000 mph (11,000 kph), reaching approximately 22,200 miles (35,700 km) above the Earth. At this speed and altitude, the satellite will revolve around the planet once every 24 hours, the same period of time it takes the Earth to make one full rotation. In other words, the satellite exactly keeps pace with our moving planet. This way, you only have to direct the dish at the satellite once and from then on it picks up the signal without adjustment, at least when everything works right. At the core, this is all there is to satellite television. But as we'll see in the next section, there are several important steps between the original programming source and your television.

Today, you see compact satellite dishes perched on rooftops all over India. Drive through rural areas, beyond the reach of the cable companies, and you'll find dishes on just about every house. The major satellite television companies are bringing in more customers every day with the lure of movies, sporting events and news from around the world.