Monday, March 31, 2008

A Few Words On How Does Satellite TV Work

There are times when you wonder about things that you take for granted around you. For example, do you know how satellite TV does work? Today the latest and most advanced transmission of TV signals are via satellite. This is a well known fact; however, few would be able to say how this is done.

How Does Satellite TV Work – The Answer Made Simple

Once upon a time satellite TV meant a lot of expenses, a huge reception antenna plus a huge effort and cost in maintenance. Today, these same antennas have become compact and highly efficient for which they are available in almost every home. This is great for those who stay out of the coverage of terrestrial antenna or cable services because satellite TV can capture TV signals anywhere on earth.

Regular TVs antenna uses radio waves which travel in straight line to transmit the signals. In order to receive these signals, you would need to have your own TV antenna in direct line with the main TV station terrestrial antenna. Hence, the coverage area through this process is definitely limited.

Coming back to the question on how does satellite TV work, you will learn that the signals in this case are sent from the main TV antenna to the satellite, which acts as both a receiver and transmitter.

The signals from the TV station are sent up to the satellite. The satellite orbits the earth once exactly every 24 hours making it stationary according to the movement of the earth whose rotation around its axis also takes 24 hours. This makes it possible for the satellite to distribute the signals to an immensely large area by its mere positioning. Millions of dish antennas are positioned in straight line with the satellite making it possible for you to view your favorite program on your TV.

It Is Simple Once You Know How Does Satellite TV Work

In other words, the satellite TV works the same way as the regular TV works – the only difference being that its signals are bounced off a satellite instead of being transmitted in straight line over the surface as the case with the terrestrial antenna. In this way the signals can be dispersed over a very large area making it possible for people who live in rural or inaccessible areas to get crystal clear TV broadcast via the satellite.

A small clarification about the question on how does the satellite work – the satellite TV does not have any program of its own; it rather functions as a reflector for the regular TV signals. Those who get the signals with the help of the satellite dish (as they are popularly known) antennas decode the signals with a special key which is also used to determines the cost of the service.

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