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There is a long, very scientific answer to the question, how does satellite TV work. There is also a shorter version that is way more interesting. We’re going to go with the shorter version and apologize in advance to the scientific types who will cringe when they read this. As far as most people thinking that dishes are new, well they are not. The first satellite for TV was shot into space in’62.

When it all started there were not a lot of satellites up and most people who wanted to get satellite television had huge gray satellite dishes planted in their back yards. There are still some of these around. They are usually about nine feet in diameter and when somebody wants to move the dish to get a different country’s programs it is a group effort. They originally came with remote controls, but those were lost several years ago so the dish gets turned manually.

At that time, and for several years after, no one who owned the dishes really knew which satellites were plugged into which countries. So, you would move the dish until you picked up a country that looked good and watch it for a few days or months until you moved the dish again. Sometimes you landed on your own country, most times you didn’t. But, it was fun and all countries have unique television programs that aren’t seen in other countries.

So, as the popularity of satellite televisions grew they started shooting more satellites up that had transponders on them. They called these geostationary satellites because they are orbiting at the same speed as the earth so they aren’t really moving anymore than we are. This made reception easier to achieve and if you knew where a satellite was you could point the nine foot dish at the satellite and watch a different countries stuff. It was still pretty cool.

Cities had a problem because of the size of the satellites. Most city dwellers do not have an area over nine feet in diameter that they can put a big, grey, satellite dish. So, providers came up with an’” dish. These little dishes do everything that the big dishes did. They can be attached to anything and, as long as they are pointing south and are not obstructed, the picture that is received is great.

Cities had a problem with the little dishes because hardly anybody has an unblocked south view. That’s when they came up with “spot beams.” So, the satellites shoot a signal to the spot beam, that shoots a signal to the dish, that shoots a signal to a television. Okay, it’s way more scientific than that, but this is the short version, and you get the picture.

Because the whole satellite system runs on radio signals, the satellite guys found that it saved a lot of space if they encoded the signals digitally and shot all the channels across the same bandwidth. They now have signals available in both standard and HDTV format going out twenty four hours a day.

So, for unscientific types that were wondering how does satellite TV work, there you have it. A really complex system that works really well.

If you are a television fan, you will almost certainly be familiar with satellite antennas. Many TV broadcasters offer satellite dishes and receivers included their paid packages.

A lot of the time, the satellite antenna will be installed and set up by a professional and television channels and services are delivered on a contract basis.

But with the necessary equipment and a little know how, satellite antennas can be used to pick up hundreds of channels from around the world, legally and absolutely free of charge.

To do this, two essential items equipment are needed – a satellite dish and a satellite receiver. There are a number of types of satellite antennas on offer, so you will have to determine which one best suits your requirements.

Basic – The most basic variety of satellite antenna. These can be mounted on a wall or pole and pointed towards one satellite, so all adjustments need to be done manually.

Multi-satellite – These are a more expensive variety of satellite antenna, but they can receive signals from a few different satellites without adjusting the antenna.

Motor-driven – These pole-mounted satellite dishes can be directed towards any satellite position using a remote control, allowing convenient access to a huge number of channels. These are costly, but a must have for enthusiasts.

Satellite dishes are cheap both to buy and set up. A basic satellite system including antenna, receiver and a remote can be bought for around $150. A basic motor-driven system should cost about $350. Installation costs for these systems should be in the region of $150.

Top-of-the-range satellite antennas with all the features can cost thousands of dollars, with set-up costs running to hundreds of dollars. But you can save some of the expense by installing the system yourself. There are plenty of guides and dedicated sites on the internet which, with the aid of a satellite finder signal meter, will give all the know how you need to set up and tune in your dish to receive the free channels of your choice.

Before you purchase a satellite antenna you should do your homework. Find out what free-to-air stations are available, which satellites transmit them and decide on the ones that you want. Again, all of this information is easily available on the web. You can then purchase your satellite antenna based on these requirements.

The beauty of owning a quality satellite dish is that you can enjoy the best of both worlds. You can receive the best in free-to-air television from around the globe, and you can also choose from any number of subscription-based services that are available in the US.

Therefore, if you want to add a new dimension to your TV viewing, a satellite dish could be the perfect solution.

Once upon a time when it came to television there was little to think about. Go to your corner electronics store, buy the hottest new set and call the cable company. Those days are gone. Now we have so much more to consider. What we watch and what we want to spend play vital roles. Not far behind is quality of programming, the wave of the future. You have to ponder between satellite and cable, whether you have access to a satellite signal and which satellite company is best for you. How have things been with your current provider? Perhaps things are good but you are ready for a change. You want to see if the grass really is greener on the other side. Start with the facts about programming in the modern age before making any major moves. This will make that change less risky and more rewarding.

So which is best, satellite or cable television? Let’s put it this way. The only issue with cable you might have is with the neighborhood channels you possess, such as the local news. Everything else is taken to a new level with satellite. Way more channels for a price that cable can’t touch. Satellite companies have each other to deal with and are all across the country. Local companies have less in their way. If you want the best value, you have to go with satellite. It is also much easier to select your programming with satellite companies. In most cases there are large channel packages offered. You have to decide between 100 or 200 channels, pretty easy. Local channels sometimes entice you to buy a certain group of channels when all you want is just one. If that isn’t enough, there is way more HD channels offered with satellite than with cable as well. This is the future of programming. You can see that with all the new screens on the market today.

Satellite still has more to give. There is a bus load of music channels for us to listen to. There is the incredible picture you get, 100% digital throughout. Cable usually offers only some digital channels. Finally there is HD programming. Satellite offers way more HD for you. This is the way television is going, period. You can see that when you shop for television screens these days. Of course weather can affect the signal from time to time. That reason alone isn’t enough to bypass the satellite option.

Dish Network and Directv are the top satellite companies. Both are good and can service your needs. Customer service is important when problems arise and these companies will do more to keep your business than cable companies. Directv seems to be the better option between the two. It has way more HD channels at a way better price. Again, this is the way of the future. You also can get 200 channels at a better rate than Dish.

In the end though it might be a promotion that gets you enticed, free equipment and free installation is available right now with Directv. You may as well deal straight with them when setting yourself up. This way you are shown true customer service right from the start. So if you are thinking about a change and what option is best in our high quality world, Directv satellite seems to be the best option today for all our television needs.