| By Kate Ivy and Gary Davis Dish-Network-Satellite-TV.ws Webmasters: You may reprint this article in its entirety,providing you leave the Byline and About the Author sectionsintact, including the links to Dish NetworkSatellite TV. The Science Behind Your Satellite Dish Ever wonder how your satellite system works? There’s actuallyquite a bit of science going on behind the scenes, with severalcomponents working together to bring you that digital-qualitysignal. Here’s a quick look at the pieces that form yoursatellite puzzle.
Your channel selection begins with the programming sourcesthemselves. Companies like Showtime, HBO and Starz! all createtheir respective programming. Channel providers then purchaserights to this programming so that they can broadcast the showsvia satellite. Once a provider has their programming in place,they turn their attention to the broadcast center to compressand convert the programming for satellite broadcast. Your programming original arrives as a digital stream of video,which is then compressed and converted through an encoder,typically using the MPEG 2 format. This format reduces theoverall size of the video, making it possible for a satellite tobroadcast hundreds of channels at the same time. Once encoded, the video is then encrypted so that the broadcastcan only be viewed by paying subscribers. This encryption“scrambles” the signal so that those without the proper receiverpick up distorted and unintelligible video. After the video hasbeen encrypted, it is sent to the provider’s satellite,strategically positioned
in the sky. The satellite itself uses a dish similar to your own satellitedish, to receive the video and send it back down to Earth tothe provider’s subscribers. The satellite contains numeroustransponders, components that allow the satellite to pick up thebroadcast signal, amplify it and resend at a specific frequency.In addition to the transponders, satellites typically haveseveral other onboard components, including a power source suchas solar panels or rechargeable batteries and a computer systemto monitor the satellite’s various functions and conditions. When the satellite sends the signal back down to Earth, it ispicked up by your dish, a small round antennae that receives thesatellite’s broadcast and send the video on to your satellite TVreceiver. The receiver is that little black box that sits inside your homeand allows you to choose which channel you want to watch. Thereceiver actually performs several crucial functions in thesatellite viewing process, including the decryption of thesignal itself. If you’ll remember, the satellite signal wasscrambled by the provider to protect it from un-payingconsumers. Your receiver “de-scrambles” that signal and convertsthe signal into a format that your television can handle, suchas analog or more recently, HDTV. Together these amazing components create a vividly clear digitalpicture for over 200 satellite channels. How’s that forprogramming genius? About the author:About the Authors: Gary Davis is owner of Dish NetworkSatellite TV and has written numerous articles on thesatellite television industry. Kate Ivy has written for avariety of publications and websites and is the owner of Ivygirl Media &Design.
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