|
| Satellite TV Guide | Satellite TV Guide - How It Works |
Satellite TV Guide - How It WorksTable of Contents:
How it WorksThe Overall System:Most Satellite Dish TV customers receive programming via a direct broadcast satellite (otherwise known as DBS) providers. Among the more popular of these providers include DirecTV and Dish Network. R DBS providers actually select a range of programs to provide consumers and then broadcast them to subscribers. Typically subscribers select from a set package. The provider aims to bring several different listings, which can amount to hundreds of channels for television subscribers. Their ultimate aim is to beat out the competition, which by and large is cable TV. Nowadays the provider's of satellite programming utilize digital technology, which allows a much higher quality picture and sound. Early versions of satellite television were broadcast using radio frequency ranges, which provided less optimal sound and picture quality.
The Components:There are usually five different primary components in a satellite TV system. These include: a source of programming, a center for broadcasting, a satellite, dish and last but not east the receiver. Programming sources - these are the actual channels that a particular broadcast such as HBO or ESPN would provide. The 'provider' generally operates as an intermediary, handling interactions between the customer and the programming sources. Cable TV actually operates in much the same way. Broadcast center - Often considered the "hub" or programming operations. This is where the television provider will receive signals from varying programming sources. It then sends a broadcast signal to different satellites that are hanging out in the geostationary orbit. Satellites - the satellites are responsible for receiving signals sent from the broadcast station. Any signals received are actually re-broadcast so that viewers can pick up the signal on their own personal satellite dish. Receiver - this piece of equipment actually processes the signal received from the dish and then passes it onto the television. The Programming:In the world of satellite TV there are two primary sources for providing programming, including turnaround channels and local channels. Turnaround channels include HBO, ESPN and CNN, whereas local channels include stations such as NBC, CBS and ABC. Turnaround channels typically provide programming options for cable programmers as well. The same turnaround channels very often make use of a distribution center in order to send programming to satellites that orbit the earth. The broadcasting station will need to use a satellite dish to pick up both analog and digital signals from several different sources. A majority of local stations don't actually transmit their signals and programs to satellites; thus providers typically will have to set up a local facility with equipment that can receive local signals from the broadcast center. This commonly occurs via fiber-optic cables or antennas. The signals are picked up and then transmitted to a central broadcast center. The broadcast center is responsible for converting the programming into an uncompressed digital stream that offers high quality material. The stream may contain large amounts of data for every channel. Because so much data is contained on a single channel, a broadcast center must compress all signals so that they aren’t too large for the satellite to process.
Compression:Within the United States there are two providers that use the MPEG-2 compressed format. For those of you that don’t know this is the same format that is used to store movies on DVD's. Do you want to know what has made the DBS service successful? It is the ability to reduce the 270-Mbps stream to 5 or 10 Mbps among other things. Digital compression allows a satellite to transmit somewhere in the range of 200 channels. Without this capability typically only 30 channels could be transmitted. How does all this work? An MPEG-2 encoder is used at the broadcast center to convert programming to the correct size MPEG-2 video and format so you can receive the video in your house. Then encoder then assesses each frame it receives and encodes it, eliminating unnecessary data in the meantime and pulling out information that is necessary from other frames in order to reduce the size of the overall file. There are three ways to encode a frame including:
How fast something is compressed depends in part on the type of programming being produced. If for example an encoder is converting material from a newscast, it can utilize more predicted frames. This is because the scene will stay the same from one frame to the next. Action movies and videos would require that things would change rapidly from frame to frame, thus more intraframes would be necessary. Thus a much smaller size compression is necessary. Encryption and Transmission:Once a video is completely compressed, a provider then needs to encrypt the video so that other people can not access the information provided for free. Encryption basically allows the digital data being provided to be scrambled so that it can only be unscrambled (converted back into usable data) if a receiver contains just the right decryption information and security codes. After the signal is encrypted and compressed it is then sent directly to one of many satellites. The satellite will subsequently pick up and amplify the signal and sent it back to Earth where viewers dishes can retrieve it.
The Dish:The dish is nothing more than an antenna that can be used to focus in on a single broadcast source. A dish typically comes in about an 18” size and is comprised of a round surface resembling a bowl and a piece of equipment that points out, which is commonly called the central feed horn. A dish has to be placed on the receiving end. It will receive information that is transmitted from a transmitter. Typically a beam of information will strike the dish, and the round shape of the dish will allow the beam to reflect inward. The beam reflects to an exact point that is called the feed horn. The horn then transmits the signal into the receiving equipment. The only way a clear signal can be received is if there is a clear path with no obstacles between the satellite and the dish. Sometimes the dish will have to pick up signals from several satellites. This can alter the quality of the signal being received. Typically a dish doing this will use one or more horns to pick up different signals. The signals will be reflected at different angles so that one beam can hit one horn and subsequently tap another. The Receiver:The receiver is the last component that makes up a satellite system. It is responsible for the following functions: 1. It de-scrambles any signals that are encrypted via use of a decoder chip for specific packages. The provider is able to communicate using the decoder chip and satellite signal. Adjustments are made as needed for communication to occur. 2. Next an MPEG-2 signal is changed into a useable format, typically an analog format so that a traditional television can read it. 3. After this single signal channels are pulled from other large satellite signals. A receiver can only handle one signal at a time, so viewers can’t necessarily record one program while watching another unless they have more than one receiver. 4. The receiver is capable of tracking programs such as pay per view and can disseminate critical information including billing to the satellite center for processing. Receivers also have features that include parental lock out capabilities and programming schedules. Some receiver's provider built in digital records that allow you to record live television. Cable companies can provide some features that satellite companies do not including the ability to split different signals between various televisions. However satellite systems can provide a good quality picture and many different programming options. Some people prefer satellite because it is available in extended service areas. For one reason or another some people simply prefer satellite to cable. Free Satellite Dish TV:Most people enjoy a free satellite dish television system when they subscribe to satellite programming. Why spend hundreds of dollars purchasing your own satellite dish equipment when you can get it for free if you subscribe to a programming package? Most satellite providers will provide free installation when the equipment is delivered. Some satellite programming providers will even provide free programming for the first few months. Because there is so much competition in the industry, some providers may eve offer up to 4 satellite receivers for free, and even free digital recording options such as TiVo. Most people will only have to pay for programming packages they select. Typically you can choose from packages offering between 250 and 500 channels. Some packages offer less channels however they are relatively inexpensive, as little as $35 dollars per month. Most people will opt to select a year long subscription. What is TiVo?One benefit of TiVo is that you will no longer need to buy videotapes! Videotapes used to be cheap, and as a result people often purchased them as if they were paper. However, tapes often result in time and space consummation. Why view an entire tape after all just to determine if it is ok to record over, right? TiVo is a unique new technology that enables you to record without using tapes. It actually records video to a hard drive that can erase items easily when you want to. If you need to you can even save your recording from TiVo to videotape if necessary. VCR's did not replace regular primetime viewing however, and so newer innovations started to be created. Now the DVR or digital video recorder has been invented. There are three types of DVR on the market today, including: TiVo, ReplayTV and UltimateTV. TiVo is by far the most popular of these options. What exactly is a DVR? Nothing more than a fancy hard drive located inside a box that is placed on top of your entertainment center. The hard drive is connected to your machine and the world via a series of cables much like a VCR. The DVR receives a television signal through a built in tuner and antenna or satellite or other feature such as cable. The signal will go into an MPEG-2 encoder if it is received via cable or an antenna that will convert the date received into a digital format. The signal is then transported to the hard drive so it can be stored, but also to the MPEG-2 decoder that will then convert the signal from digital back to analog and send it directly to the television. DVR's use a customized operating system. TiVo for example uses a modified Linux installation. One of the best benefits of this system is it does not require a tape. The media and tool used in a DVR are one in the same. Consider how nice it would be to record things without having to search around for a tape. There are however also drawbacks to this type of system. One of the biggest drawbacks is the lack of extra storage space, which isn’t possible because the media is hard wired into the recording machine. If you want more recording time you will have to purchase an additional DVR. However there are many advantages of DVRs including personal control over playback. You can start viewing a program at any time while it is recording, even while it is still being recorded. This is not the case with a VCR. One of the more popular features of a DVR and one that is heavily marketed via advertising is the DVRs ability to pause television while live. Now admittedly this seems like something impossible to accomplish, correct? DVR reps suggest that they can "pause live TV" a phrase that is misleading if not entirely incorrect. Basically if you hit the pause button using the DVR remote, what happens is the box starts recording the TV program. While recording the current image is frozen, which gives an outward appearance that the videotape is paused. When you hit un-pause the program that you had been recording begins playing again. So it appears that you have paused live TV but realistically you have recorded it. DVRs also utilize a live TV buffer which part of the hard drive is reserved for. These generally are constantly recording, allowing the past hour of viewing to consistently be stored in the buffer zone. Thus, if you happen to walk into a room after a movie has started, you can rewind the portions you missed and catch the beginning. That is of course if the DVR was on the channel you meant to watch to begin with. The buffer will empty each time the channel is changed and start re-recording, so you can’t change the channel and have it record another. DVR's typically offer some sort of search tools, typically ones that operate via name of a program, of actors and even via keyword searches. TiVo on the other hand offers functions that are targeted toward people that know exactly what they want to watch. They offer "wish lists" and also "season passes". The first option allows you to type in the name of keywords of certain programs you might be interested in recording. There are even season passes that can allow you to record each episode of a particular program. You can actually program it specifically enough to record first run episodes of a program or to record a program by name. DVRs may be able to record between 30 and 320 hours or programming, however the quality will generally decline the more information that is recorded. You can actually record at different levels of quality when you use TiVo. The primary levels include basic, medium, high and the best quality. If you are recording a high number of hours of programming you will have to set your TiVo at a basic quality level. However if you want to record say nine hours you could record at an optimal level. The number of gigabytes the hard drive uses will depend on the quality of material you are recording. Is there really that much difference in the quality? Images that are lower quality will generally be more distorted. This is more true if there is lots of movement within an image. Slow moving programs will do well with lower quality settings. This includes most talk shows. Action films however would look terrible at a low setting thus require a higher quality setting. Usually the use of a DVR requires a monthly fee. This is because the recording equipment has to dial in order to download available program grids. Typically you will have to pay a fixed monthly rate if you want to use TiVo, though you can select the option of paying a larger amount a single time, which actually enables a lifetime subscription. Other services including Ultimate TV don’t offer lifetime subscriptions. ReplayTV does not charge a monthly fee but they do charge for subscription. Your best bet is to check out the many different options available. How to save money during installation:Most people will be able to acquire Dish Network or Direct TV equipment that doesn’t cost anything or costs very little to install. Generally these companies make their money via subscription fees. Most companies will offer different opportunities and offers every week. Some offers may require that you elect a year's worth of programming right from the beginning, whereas others may require that you pay an installation fee but can fill out a rebate certificate to get your money back. Free equipment typically comes with these offers. The best thing you can do is shop around for the offer that is bets for you. Don't forget to consider how many televisions you are going to install before you get your satellite hooked up. You may need to get a separate receiver for every television that is going to be hooked up to the system. Compare deals to see which company will offer you the best with regard to this. You can always opt to buy a single receiver, though everyone will have to watch the same program at the same time. A majority of the packages available actually include two or more receivers. This is a good option because it will allow different people to select different channels so that no two people have to watch the same program at the same time. Paperwork:Inevitably you will have to fill out some paperwork. Paperwork is required when you initially register your equipment and when you install it. Typically your address and information on your equipment including the serial numbers for your hardware are stored on what is called a smart card. This actually comes with all receivers. A smart card looks like a credit card. It contains a computer chip that has the ability to communicate with the service provider you select. It will unlock the programming you choose. It is very important that you keep this card safe and secure. While you are at home you can set up an installation appointment. You could try to do it yourself, however unless you are well versed in many concepts including geosynchronous orbit and other terms such as azimuth, you probably want to leave your installation to the professionals. Plan ahead:If you want to take advantage of satellite then plan ahead, because it could take a week or more to have the equipment installed. Don't expect to by the hardware and then have it installed the very next day. Typically independent installers will set up your equipment. Most are well qualified and experienced but be sure to check their credentials. The installer will first work on getting your dish set up, typically on your roof but they may place it on a pole or balcony. The dish will have to be set up in a place where a clean line of sight is available to prevent obstruction of signals from the satellite. Depending on where you live the dish will point in different locations in order to pick up the signal. Your dish may be turned to the southwest or southeast depending on how far east or west you live.
Phone line needed:Once your dish is mounted and the electrical equipment is secure, the installer will work on stringing a coaxial cable from the dish directly to your home. The installer will also set up a wire to ground the dish in the off chance lightening strikes. Cables should be tied together cleanly and not look terrible or messy once the installer is done. There should be a weatherproofed hole where the cables enter your home. The entry points to the house may depend on the location of your receivers. The receivers do need to be placed in close proximity to the television but also need to be close to a jack and power source. In order for the receiver to work it has to be plugged into a phone line. It doesn't need its own phone, it simply communicates with the home office typically during the middle of the night every now and again. The entire hardware process takes about an hour. After this you should be handed the remote and you will be ready to go. You may need to call customer service after installation to get your programming activated. They will simply take a minute of your time to verify that your information is correct and will then send a signal directly through the satellite that will eventually find its way into your living room. Common Satellite TV mis-spellings:Dish Network is often misspelled: Dishnetwork, or Dishnetworks, so watch for those in your searches! DirecTV is often misspelled: Direct TV, or Directtv. Satellite TV is often misspelled: Satalite TV, Satallite TV, or Satelite TV. GLOSSARY:digital cable -- digital cable is often considered the best quality option in part because it uses digital instead of analog technology. Digital technology can compress video signals so that more than one program can be transferred in the same amount of space that an analog program would operate in. Typically a cable sends a signal to the home that is decompressed in a box provided by the cable service. DSS -- This system is offered via DIRECTV/USSB. DTH broadcast satellite -- DTH refers to direct-to-home broadcast satellite. Hughes actually manufactures this satellite and Lockheed Martin manufactures Echostar's satellite. DVB -- Otherwise known as digital video broadcast is a system that Echostar provides. DVR -- a digital video recorder or DVR is a piece of hardware that has the capability of recording broadcast television. It does so using a digital format. Viewers can pause a live broadcast using this system. encrypt -- this means to convert information from one form of communication to another. The message is transformed into a code. Encryption is a process based on a form of science called cryptography, which enables the use of coded messages. This form of science has been used by the dawn of time particularly by the military and by governments needing to pass along private information. geostationary satellite -- this is a satellite that has what is called an "equatorial orbit". It may require the use of a velocity similar to that of the earth. hard drive -- the equipment that enables reading and writing of data. It enables you to store video data on your machine. HDTV signal -- also known as high resolution digital television that is combined with Dolby Digital Ò surround sound. Known for producing a theater like experience among viewers. LNBF -- this is commonly known as a low noise blockdown feedhorn and can amplify a signal that the dish has collected. MPEG-2 -- this is considered the best data transmitter. on-screen program guide -- a program guide that lets you view programming for several days in advance. one-touch recording -- just as it sounds, enables you to record with the click of a button. operating system -- this is the system on a computer or other mechanism responsible for performing basic tasks including recognizing input from various devices. It helps keep track of files and controls peripheral devices. parental lockout control -- a control device that lets parents control or lock out certain programs. program browsing -- this feature will let you browse programs while viewing. satellite -- this is the equipment responsible for transmitting signals from a receiver to station. satellite dish -- the dish actually receives transmissions that come from the satellite. A dish is necessary for receiving television transmissions. server -- this is the central device that helps manage network resources. TiVo® -- this is a type of recording service that uses a hard drive to record programming without using tapes. |
Have questions? We've got answers! Visit our home satellite tv guide to learn everything you ever wanted to know (and some things you didn't :) about satellite dish tv!
|
|
