Satellite television is one of the latest and greatest technologies to hit our homes! It is delivered by satellites (of course) high in the sky and provides a signal quality (HiFi). It can deliver many more and a much larger range of channels and services (internet access or satellite radio) than the TV most of us use today. This technology, however, is older than you might think. In fact, the first satellite television signal was relayed in 1962.

How the System Works - A Summary

Satellite TV systems are very complicated when you get into the technology. But when it comes down to it, basically the signal is received by an uplink station that transmits it to a satellite that orbits the earth; the signal is then relayed back to earth and the transmission is received by dishes. It's so basic you're probably asking yourself "why weren't we using this method earlier"!

There are 3 Ways to Utilize a Satellite TV System

1. Directly by each viewer 2. Reception by local television affiliates 3. or reception by headends for distribution across cable systems.

In order to setup your personal satellite TV system, you'll need some equipment. First, a recieving dish. This will pick up the signal and assemble it for you. Next - a receiver. This device decodes the signal and passes it to your television. Most service providers will provide this equipment for you to buy or lease. If they do not, or you simply would rather purchase the equipment yourself you can do that as well.

The Big Players

Satellite TV systems are available many areas around the world. The big satellite TV system providers in the USA are Star, Dish Network and Direct TV. In Canada you'll find that Bell Canada's ExpressVu and StarChoice are the main satellite TV system providers. Latin America uses SKY Television as its main provider. Canal Digital, Sky Italia and UPC are the main satellite TV system service providers in Europe.

What about Cost?

In the past, Satellite TV systems were expensive and considered a luxury service. Today, however, it is very affordable and many TV watchers prefer it. Once more, the cost of the cable television has steadily been rising. The satellite television subscribers receive high quality, digital signal. Plus, service packages come with additional features included such as internet access, satellite radio, and more in their base price. From a users view, one of the best advantages of the satellite TV system is that it offers additional information about shows - something that you could not get with traditional cable television.

There are those people who have concerns about the reliability of the signal. Although there might be signal interruptions due to electrical storms or very bad weather, but these service breaks are rare and this technology is very reliable and enjoyable!