There are currently only two major satellite TV companies in the U.S. Dish Network and Direct TV. Both DISH Network and
DIRECTV broadcast a variety of television shows, sporting events, special events, and commercial-free music, so
which one should you choose for satellite TV service?
DIRECTV was launched in 1994 by Hughes Electronics and was the first high-powered broadcast satellite
service in the world using the new small dishes.
DIRECTV has 250 channels of satellite TV programming, and offers three programming packages.
DIRECTV is currently the largest satellite TV company, with more than 15 million subscribers, and is
ranked #2 in customer satisfaction among all cable and satellite TV companies by J.D. Power and Associates.
DISH Network was launched in 1996 by EchoStar.
DISH Network is currently the fastest-growing satellite TV company, with more than 12 million subscribers,
and is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among all cable and satellite TV companies by J.D. Power and Associates.
DISH Network offers 375 channels of satellite TV programming, and five program packages.
Their starter package, the 40-channel Dish Family Pak, includes family-oriented programming such as Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, and the Hallmark Movie Channel. Their top-of-the-line "Everything" Pak includes 375 program channels, including 60 Sirius radio channels, 52 music channels, HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz.
DISH Network also offers pay-per-view programming, HD programming packages, adult channels, and sports packages.
So which is better Dish Network or Direct TV?
To me the choice is very clear. DISH Network. DISH Network is the fastest growing company because it is trying to
capture more market share. This means to you, better customer service, better products and an overall
better experience. The fact that they are ranked #1 in customer satisfaction is proof that
they are trying hard to be on top. So the smart shopper will know now is the time to take full advantage of that and sign up
for Dish Network Satellite TV today.
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The five major components involved in a complete satellite TV system are: the programming source, the broadcast center,
the satellites, and the home satellite receive dish and receiver.
The programming source is simply all the channels that provide programming for broadcast.
The broadcast center is the central hub of the system. At the broadcast center, they receive signals
from various programming sources, over the air, cable and fiber optic and then uplinks a digital broadcast signal to satellites in geostationary orbit.
The satellites receive the signals from the broadcast center and rebroadcast them back to the ground.
The viewer's receive dish picks up the signal from the satellite (or multiple satellites in the same part of the sky) and passes
it on to the digital receiver in the viewer's house.
The receiver processes the signal and converts it back to a standard television signal.
Satellite TV providers get programming from two major sources: national turnaround channels (such as HBO, ESPN and CNN)
and various local channels (the NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS and Fox affiliates in a particular area). Most of the turnaround
channels also provide programming for cable television, and the local channels typically broadcast their programming
directly over the air.
Turnaround channels usually have a distribution center that beams their programming to a geostationary satellites.
The broadcast center then uses large satellite dishes to pick up these analog and digital signals.
Most local stations don't transmit their programming to satellites, so the provider has to get it another way.
If the provider includes local programming in a particular area, it will have a small local facility.
This equipment receives local signals directly from the broadcaster through fiber-optic cable or an antenna and
then transmits them to the central broadcast center.
The next thing the broadcast center does is convert all of this programming into a high-quality, uncompressed digital stream.
This stream contains a vast quantity of data -- about 270 megabits per second (Mbps) for each channel. In order to
transmit the data stream, the broadcast center has to compress it. Otherwise, it would be too big for the satellite to handle.
Both major providers in the United States use the MPEG-2 compressed video format. This is the same format used to
store movies on DVDs.
Once the signal is compressed and encrypted, the broadcast center beams it directly to one of its satellites.
The satellite picks up the signal with an onboard dish, amplifies the signal and uses a different dish to beam
the signal back to Earth.
