How Does Directv Satellite Technology Work?
First of all, unlike earlier satellite communications which relied on a motorized dish to chase the mobile satellites across the sky, modern satellites are placed into a geosynchronous orbit about 37,000 km (22,300 miles) up. This means that they always remain above the same point on the earth’s surface. That way, all dishes on the earth can be pointed at a fixed location, and the satellite will always be there.
The signal to be broadcast originates at an “uplink center”, which collects nationwide programming from cable television networks and local programming from broadcast networks and encrypts it so that the programming cannot be intercepted by non-paying users. The uplink facility uses a huge dish, 9 to 12 meters (or 30 to 40 feet) wide, to accurately send a high-strength signal to the orbiting satellite.
The satellite, in turn, converts the signal to a different microwave frequency band, so that the downlink doesn’t cause interference with the uplink. The two most common frequencies used in United States satellite tv broadcasts are the “C-band” (4 to 6 GHz) and the “Ku band” (12 to 18 GHz).
After traveling more than 50,000 miles, and being converted in between, the signal that arrives at the receiving dish on the outside of the consumer’s home is fairly weak. It is focused by a bowl-shaped parabolic dish onto a device in the center called a “feed horn”, which channels the signal to a “low-noise block downconverter” (LNB) which filters out unwanted interference, and sometimes converts it to yet another frequency before amplifying it and sending it to the satellite receiver box inside the house through a coaxial cable.
The satellite receiver box converts the signal to an analog television, audio or data signal. The receiver may be equipped to decrypt the coded signal itself, or it may require a separate box or a “smart card” plug-in (either to the receiver box or to the television to perform the decoding. A single receiver can serve only one television or computer; multiple receivers must be purchased to provide signal to multiple devices, including watching one channel and recording on another.
Many receivers also include integrated digital video recorders (DVR), allowing them to rewind and pause live television, and to record and store their favorite shows on a built-in hard drive. There are also increasing numbers of high-definition television (HDTV) satellite receivers and DVRs available.
Newer technologies being integrated into the system include pay-per-view functionality, interactive television channels, and video-on-demand (VOD) channels.
The competition for between satellite tv providers, and between satellite and cable providers, is quite fierce. The advantages of being the first to provide new features are driving the pace of invention among satellite technology providers, so we can expect to see many more breakthroughs in the near future.
Troy Degarnham is the author and webmaster of http://www.directv-direct-tv.info, an informative website about Direct TV. Extensive help on Directv receivers, DVR, Channels, Internet, Packages, Installation and High Definition TV can be found here – http://www.directv-direct-tv.info
Digital TV Switchover Date Set
The date has been set for the first Digital TV switchover in the UK. The analogue TV signal will be turned off from 17 October in Whitehaven area of western Cumbria. First to go will be BBC2 before being followed by the remaining analogue channels on November 14. The move means that the 25,000 residents of Whitehaven will have to switch to Digital TV by those dates in order to keep receiving TV.
In order to receive Digital TV people will need to purchase a Freeview set-top box or subscribe to satellite, cable or broadband TV in order to keep viewing TV. New equipment, installation and support will be given to people over 75, those with significant disabilities and the blind. The assistance will cost 40 pounds, or will be free for eligible people who are also on pension credit, job seeker’s allowance or income support.
Letters are being sent to everyone in the area explaining how the Digital TV switchover will work and what they need to do to keep viewing TV. On screen messages will also appear on analogue channels from May warning viewers that the analogue signal will be turned off in the next few months.
The Digital TV switchover will then be carried out region by region, with the rest of the Borders the next to have its analogue signal switched off, beginning at the end of 2008. By the end of 2012 the analogue signal will have been turned off across the whole of the country meaning everyone must have switched over to Digital TV in order to keep viewing TV.
Broadcasting minister Shaun Woodward said: “We’ve been fully engaged with preparing Whitehaven for a long time and it will – I underline that – be a success. Nobody in Whitehaven will be left behind because it is critical everybody understands it is happening.”
However, concerns have been raised as only 27% of households in the affected area, almost 7,000 homes, have yet to switch to digital. This is largely because Whitehaven cannot yet receive Freeview and so satellite has been the only option for residents.
There have also been concerns that many people, particularly pensioners, do not know enough about the Digital TV switchover and that more needs to be done for them. Age Concern’s director general Gordon Lishman said: “We will continue to champion the need for additional support for all older people who need it, not just the over 75s, and for a range of technology to be made available through the scheme. Measures must also be put in place so that vulnerable people are not exploited by rogue traders during the switchover.”
Guide to TV discusses television options for residential customers, primarily for the UK market. Find out more about getting the best option for your home at http://www.guide-to-tv.com
What is Digital TV Anyway?
Digital TV is a means of transmitting picture and sound to your TV set. It is done by converting the pictures and sound into computerised bits of information and compressing it, then transmitting it from as transmitter to your aerial. The signal is then converted back into pictures and sound by your TV using a decoder. Digital TV provides the potential for hundreds of channels and services via a TV. This is because the digital signal is compressed, meaning it takes up less space in the airwaves, unlike the analogue system.
Where as the old analogue system could only provide 5 channels, on digital you can potentially have access to hundreds of channels, as well as extras like a 7-day programme guide and interactivity. The main benefit of Digital TV is the increase in picture quality; digital signals produce a much better picture and higher quality sound. Ghosting images and crackling pictures are a thing of the past, and the best bit is its available to almost everyone.
In order to receive Digital TV on your television you will have to replace or adapt it (unless you have a recently purchased TV). Some brand new TVs come featuring integrated digital Freeview (IDTV), which means they are able to display Digital signals without the use of a separate box. If your TV doesnt have this feature then you will need to attach a set top box to any TVs you wish to adapt using a SCART lead.
Set Top boxes vary in costs depending on the service you require. Non subscription services such as Freeview require a one off payment to purchase the equipment in order to receive more than 30 free channels and other features. Subscription services vary in cost depending on the level you wish to subscribe to, Top up TV provides limited additional channels for a small charge which can paid flexibly each month. Others such as SKY and NTL can provide a much wider selection of services but the charges are much greater and often require a 12 month subscription.
The Digital Switchover is the process by which all television in the UK switches to a digital signal. Analogue signals are inferior to their Digital counterparts and as a result are going to be phased out. In order to make sure that everyone in the UK can receive a digital signal it has to be available for free everywhere. Presently this is possible in only 74% of UK homes, in order for the rest of the country to receive digital signals the existing analogue signal must be switched off.
After switchover at least 98.5% of people will be able to receive digital TV via an aerial. The switchover will begin in 2008 and end in 2012, and will happen one region at a time. In order to make sure that you’re ready for the switchover you will need to make sure your TV can receive and process digital signals, either via an integrated tuner or set top box.
Chris is a former TV salesman with a passion for technology. Confused about HDTVs and the Digital Era? For more information, Reviews and great deals on LCD and Plasma TV’s check out http://www.which-hdtv.co.uk
Set-Top Box
This term (Set-top box) describes a specialised computer which translates incoming digital signals into a form suitable for viewing on a standard television set. The source of the signals could be a digital satellite or terrestrial broadcast, a cable television channel or a video-on-demand programme sent down a telephone line.
Set-top box, sometimes abbreviated to set-top or STB, is a somewhat misleading term as the device is not necessarily placed on top of the television set and is not necessarily a box.
Other projected uses for the set-top box include control of interactive viewing, for example with a home-shopping channel or WebTV; it may also decrypt signals on subscription or pay-per-view channels. The term is an obvious compound, helped towards acceptance by its form and rhythm, even though, as one commentator remarked, it is normally found under the set rather than on top of it.
Set-top boxes may be associated with these major categories:
(1) Broadcast TV Set-top Boxes – The more elementary level set-top box with no back channel (return channel.) These might however come with some memory, interface ports and some processing power.
(2) Enhanced TV Set-top Boxes – These have a back channel (return channel), often through a phone line, and are the mainstay of today’s set-top boxes. These are capable of Video on Demand, e-commerce, Internet browsing, e-mail communications, chat and more. They are giving way to the next category.
(3) Advanced Set-top Boxes – A fully integrated set-top box. These have good processors, memory and optional large hard-drives. They’re often used with high-speed connections. Advanced set-top boxes are more likely to be integrated with DVRs and high-definition TV oriented functionality. See Media Centers.
(4) All-in-one Set-top Boxes – A fully integrated set-top box. Features could include high-speed Internet access, iTV, digital video recording & gaming. Instead of this, a “sidecar” might be used in tandem by the subscriber’s original set top box and/or TV. See Media Centers.
(5) Sidecar – This type of set-top box provides an additional transport stream of data from the network operator (content provider,) to compliment the original stream that’s being received by the subscriber via their original set-top box. With Charter Communications’, the BMC-8000 (Broadband Media Center) is/was a sidecar box that works in tandem with the Motorola DCT-2000. A fully integrated unit would not require a Sidecar.
(6) Hybrid Digital Cable Box – A specialized and often more expensive Cable TV set-top box with high end functions. Motorola Broadband’s DCP501 home theater system is/was an example. It also has a DVD player.
Keith Londrie II is a well known author. See the site at http://satellite-tv-information.info/
for a wealth of information. You may also want to visit keith’s own web site at http://keithlondrie.com/
Satellite Tv is a Liberator
Satellite TV is a Liberator or the first time in history, India’s Republic Day was seen live all over Asia on Star TV, and the fuming politicians and intellectuals of Pakistan could do nothing about it.
The budget speech of Dr Man Mohan Singh ;will be broadcast all over Asia by Zee TV, and once again the censors in Pakistan, Burma and elsewhere will be helpless to prevent their countrymen from tuning in. What Doordarshan and the external affairs ministry could never have accomplished, in spreading the message about India’s economic Renaissance, is being done through the purely commercial channels of satellite TV.
Whatever else you may call this, this is not cultural imperialism imposed by the west on India. On the contrary, it is the spread of cultures of all Asian countries to one another. The new liberalism means the Indians can see Pakistani programmes, and Pakistanis Indian programmes. For decades Pakistan refused to allow the import of Indian films on the ground that Pakistan’s film industry will be ruined by the competition. Today, Zee TV and Jain TV are beaming down umpateen Hindi films to Pakistani audience. Yet Pakistan’s film industry has certainly not been destroyed. Only the monopoly of Pakistani rulers and vested interests has been broken.
Indian viewers can bow see excellent plays on Pakistan TV beamed down by satellite, which are generally far superior to the stuff dished out by Doordarshan. This has dismayed self-righteous Indians who think Indian viewers are gullible fools who must be protected from Pakistani propaganda by wise Indian intellectuals. There is of course another possibility-that TV viewers are quite wise enough, and the self-righteous intellectuals are the gullible fools.
NOT DECULTURISED: Indian viewers have now been exposed for a long time to TV programmes from BBC and Pakistan, and India has not been subverted or deculturised in the process. It is evident that Indian viewers are quite capable of deciding what they wish to absorb or reject from foreign programmes, and neither need nor want protection from the self-righteous crowd.
Indeed, this follows from democracy itself. In a democracy, ordinary people, illiterate or otherwise, are deemed wise enough to select their rulers. And yet the self-righteous intellectuals would have you believe that the same voters are not wise enough to choose their TV programmes. It is no accident that many of these intellectuals are (or have been) Marxists, who have long peddled the theory that the washed masses must be protected from their personal preferences by golden-hearted leftists, who have the moral right to shoot those who disagree.
Democratic governments can claim to represent the people of their country. But many also claim the right of determine what their people can watch, which is not democracy but monopoly. Democracy is about the freedom of people to choose, not the freedom of politicians and intellectual goons to impose their views on the masses. Earlier, technology enabled governments to exercise a TV monopoly. But satellite TV has broken that monopoly, and allowed people to choose what they wanted to see. This is not imperialism but liberation.
Imperialism implies that a foreigner is using force to enter India against the wishes of Indians. Satellite TV is not and cannot be forced on viewers, who have the option to tune in or not. Those who complain about cultural imperialism are in fact cultural monopolists, wishing to imprison the minds and tastes of viewers in pre-determined cages. Fortunately satellite technology has destroyed those cages. That is a tragedy only for the self-appointed guardians of culture.
UNPARALLELLED VEHICLE: Satellite TV should be seen as an unparalleled vehicle for spreading Indian culture, ideas and views to the rest of Asia, and eventually to the whole world. Programmes like The India Show and India Business Report of Star TV do far more for India’s image that anything that Indian embassies or All India Radio ever could. Stat TV an Zee TV beam many advertisements of Indian companies all over Asia, but carry virtually no ads from Pakistani or Bangladeshi companies. This shows how satellite TV has transformed India’s clout as an audience into international commercial clout of national importance.
From Amjad Ali Khan to Baba Sehgal, from Sonal Mansingh to Jasmine Barucha, Indian performers are now visible all over Asia and Indian films and TV shows have an unparalleled foreign audience. Because of the language barrier, many such programmes have a limited reach in South East Asia. But there is not langurge barrier in the case of Pakistan, with whom satellite TV is building cultural bridges, which politicians and intellectuals oppose.
India and Pakistan will not reconcile their political differences in the near future. But when that day comes, I believe the reconciliation will owe a debt to the cultural cross-fertilisation that satellite TV provides today regardless of religion or nation.
Keith Londrie II is a well known author. See the site at http://satellite-tv-information.info/
for a wealth of information. You may also want to visit keith’s own web site at http://keithlondrie.com/