Satellite television

What is satellite television?

Satellite television is television using special transmitters (called transponders) placed on artificial satellites of the Earth. This type of broadcasting is characterized by the possibility of covering huge areas with a signal using only one transmitter, as well as the ability to reach areas where the creation of a network of terrestrial transmitters is impossible or uneconomical.

Thus, the transponders circling the planet receive the signal from the transmitting center, then transmit it towards a specific area of the Earth on high-frequency bands from 3 to 30 GHz. As a result, satellite TV owners are able to watch TV without connecting their apartment to the cable network, which still does not reach all locations.

How does satellite television work?

Satellite television creates a television broadcasting system that is designed to be received by individual viewers using a simple set of equipment that includes a satellite dish and a satellite receiver connected to a standard television set. How does satellite television work? The signal is sent from the broadcast center via a so-called microwave link (up-link) to the deck of a satellite located at a fixed position in geostationary orbit. This relay is mounted on board the satellite, from where it transmits the received signal back towards Earth (down-link). In this way, it covers a specific area of the surface, in a different frequency range than the signals transmitted toward the satellite. There are very many such relays on a single satellite.

In Poland, TV platforms primarily use a constellation of three specific Hot Bird satellites at the 13° E position (free channels, Canal+ and Cyfrowy Polsat), as well as a less popular grouping of Astra transponders, which are located at the 19.2°E orbital position (TV Trwam). They belong to Eutelsat and SES, respectively.

Initially, special analog systems were used. Nowadays, these systems are almost exclusively digital (analog satellite broadcasting in Europe ended exactly on April 30, 2012 ).

Advantages of satellite television

As for the advantages of satellite TV, it is able to offer many more channels. Moreover, in the case of cable TV, we are also limited by the availability of transmission streams - satellite TV can be installed anywhere, and the lack of fiber optics effectively limits the possibility of installing cable. Also arguing against cable TV is the fact that by opting for this type of TV we may be condemned to only one provider, whose infrastructure dominates the area.

The signal broadcast from satellite is also different from cable due to its greater susceptibility to weather conditions. It should be remembered that a satellite TV antenna being poorly mounted can generate interference in the transmitted signal, as can tree branches or other buildings. We also need special equipment. Both the expert advice of specialists and all the necessary components of a satellite installation can be found in the Ivel store.

What equipment is needed to receive satellite TV?

In addition to the obvious accessories, such as a TV set with HDMI input, several other components are also needed. Receiving a satellite TV signal requires several devices, such as:

• satellite dish,
• mounting brackets,
• cables,
• satellite TV meters,
• satellite decoders.

Which satellite TV to choose?

When it comes to choosing a satellite TV, there are many service providers on the market. Each TV user has personal preferences, which are really the most important when choosing the right TV. There are also several universal criteria for choosing satellite TV that are worth considering. These include:

• the price of TV packages,
• the width of the channel offer, including the presence of premium channels,
• promotions and discounts for new and regular users,
• the ratio of the quality of the satellite TV offer to the package price,
• cost of activation,
• quality of the decoder offered, delivery time,
• length of the contract, its legibility and specific terms and conditions.

Types of satellite receivers

There are many devices available for receiving satellite TV. From the simplest ones, which only allow reception of free-to-air programs, from one or more satellite positions, to receivers that allow reception of special encrypted programs, as well as recording of channels to a built-in or attached hard drive or external memory.

The following types of satellite TV receivers are available:

• FTA satellite TV receivers - enabling reception of free-to-air channels only (the simplest and cheapest);
• receivers with built-in conditional access module - enable reception, in addition to FTA channels, of additionally scrambled channels in one well-defined system or in several different systems;
• receivers of digital platforms (dedicated) - allow to receive, in addition to the channels of a given platform, to a greater or lesser extent FTA channels. They usually work only with the platform card (removing the card will immediately lock the receiver);
• CI (Common Interface) satellite TV receivers - devices that allow the installation of an external conditional access module, by which - like receivers with a built-in conditional access module - they allow reception (in addition to FTA channels), of channels encrypted in one, strictly defined system or in several different systems;
• receivers with a network card or built-in hard drive - allow recording of programs, sharing them on the network, etc;
• HEVC, UHDTV receivers - this is the most expensive and still not very popular group of receivers, which enable reception of programs in the new image coding system and ultra-high definition television.
• Linux-based receivers - this is the most configurable equipment, taking into account the large number of add-ons written by users.

Ivel provides you with access to the best solutions when it comes to satellite TV. We make every effort to constantly expand our offer, and above all - to provide assistance during the purchase. All those who are interested in satellite TV are welcome to buy. Our consultants will show you the most optimal technological solutions in terms of price and quality.