Satellite Tv

Satellite TV refers to the use of communication satellites to receive television waves with the help of a Satellite dish and set-top box. This provides digital audio and video, the quality of which is very good compared to the predeceasing Analog signals received through just an Antenna. Satellite TV first reached our shores in the late 1990’s, when the hardware was very costly. These had huge set top boxes and satellite dishes. The best part of Satellite TV is that even the rural customers can now experience the same quality of service given to urban customers. The cost factor is also comparatively the same as cable, provided you are legally getting the cable connection!

Satellite TV uses satellites to relay the signals. The signals originate from a up-link station which use transmitting antennas which are huge, and measure 30 feet to 40 feet in diameter. The dishes are large because accurate aiming can be achieved all the while getting increased signal strength. The dish is pointed in the direction of the satellite which relays the signals down to earth. This relaying is also called as ‘Re-Transmission’, but uses a different frequency than the one received from the originating station. At the customers side, the receiving dish takes in the weak signal from the satellite and amplifies it making it strong enough to be shown clearly on the television. Satellites transmit signals which are scrambled, which means only authorized boxes will be able to de-scramble it with the decoder chips inside. But people do have ways to bypass it with certain high tech devices. The signals sent are of MPEG standards, particularly MPEG-2 and newer MPEG-4 technology. Certain satellites also have the capability to transmit High Definition Television(HDTV) signals which are required by larger LCD and Plasma TVs. The set-up boxes lets the Satellite TV companies to allow only the channels that the customer pays for.

In Satellite television both the transmitting station and the satellite transmits via radio signals. The Broadcast stations though, use a larger dish while the customer uses a smaller dish. Unlike Broadcast TV, Satellite TV is not affected by obstacles like trees or buildings. For this reason they say that if the earth was flat, satellite tv could be broadcasted thousands of miles more than what is being done at the moment. So, a Satellite TV doesn’t require broadcasting stations at every area, instead satellites in the earth’s orbit do the work. This way the satellites can maintain a bigger range of Line Of Sight with the customer dishes.

But nowadays, Satellite Television is facing stiff competition from the cable and internet television technologies. Cable TV has a lot of advancements with respect to quality, and lower costs. Also, Cable TV can be split and viewed in different rooms of your house, something that cant be done with Satellite TV because of the existence of the Set-Top boxes. But Cable TV does have a disadvantage of reach and access, particularly in the rural areas.


Source : Aajkideals

DTH in India | What is DTH (Direct to Home) | DTH Services

DTH or Direct-To-Home television is defined as the reception of satellite channels and programmes using a personal dish in an individual home or a viewing place. DTH removes with the need for the local cable operator and puts the broadcaster directly in touch with the end consumer while in the Cable TV system cable operators can receive satellite programmes and they then distribute them to individual homes.

Usually a broadcasting centre, satellites, encoders, multiplexers, modulators and DTH receivers make up the DTH Network . A DTH service provider has to lease Ku-band transponders from the satellite. The encoder converts the audio, video and data signals into the digital format and the multiplexer mixes these signals. From the users side, there will be a small dish antenna (which can be as small as 25 cm in diameter) and set-top boxes to decode and view numerous channels. DTH is an encrypted transmission that travels to the consumer directly through a satellite. DTH transmission is received directly by the consumer at his end through the small dish antenna. A set-top box, unlike the regular cable connection, decodes the encrypted transmission.

The way DTH reaches a consumer’s home is different from the way cable TV normally does. In DTH, TV channels would be transmitted from the satellite to a small dish antenna mounted on the window or rooftop of the subscriber’s home directly hence the broadcaster directly connects to the user. The middlemen like local cable operators are not there in the picture.

DTH can also reach the remotest of areas since it does away with the intermediate step of a cable operator and the wires (cables) that come from the cable operator to your house. As we explained above, in DTH signals directly come from the satellite to your DTH dish. DTH users can scan nearly 700 channels unlike normal Cable TV operations. DTH offers better quality picture than cable TV. This is because cable TV in India is analog. Despite digital transmission and reception, the cable transmission is still analog. DTH offers stereophonic sound effects. It can also reach remote areas where terrestrial transmission and cable TV have failed to penetrate. Apart from enhanced picture quality, DTH has also allows for interactive TV services such as movie-on-demand, Internet access, video conferencing and e-mail.

DTH services were first proposed in India in 1996. But they did not pass approval because there were concerns over national security and a cultural invasion. In 1997, the government even imposed a ban when the Rupert Murdoch-owned Indian Sky Broadcasting (ISkyB) was about to launch its DTH services in India.

Finally in 2000, DTH was allowed. The new policy requires all operators to set up earth stations in India within 12 months of getting a license. DTH licenses in India will cost $2.14 million and will be valid for 10 years. The companies offering DTH service will have to have an Indian chief and foreign equity has been capped at 49 per cent. There is no limit on the number of companies that can apply for the DTH license.

There are five serious contenders for DTH services in India which include Reliance Big TV, Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Sun Direct and Doordarshan

Today, broadcasters believe that the market is ripe for DTH. The prices of the dish and the set-top box have come down significantly. Overall investments required in putting up a DTH infrastructure has dropped and customers are also reaping the benefits of more attractive tariffs.

The major thing that DTH operators are betting on is that the service is coming at a time when the government is pushing for CAS (conditional access system), which will make cable television more expensive, narrowing the tariff gap between DTH and cable.

Source : Aajkideals