Satellite TV

[AN ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST JOURNALISM]

Submitted to: Miss Hina Submitted by: Iqra Zulfiqar (560) Bakhtawer Zain (552) Laraib Munir (590) Maryam Zakir (585)

B.S. Mass Communication-Semester V

Queen Mary College

Contents.
Introduction Brief History Features Regulations Effects Famous Ties Types of Satellite Applications of Satellite Cable vs. Satellite Advantages of Satellite TV Disadvantages of Satellite TV Conclusion References

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Introduction
In 1962, the American telecommunications giant AT&T launched the world's first true communications satellite, called Telstar. Since then, countless communications satellites have been placed into earth orbit, and the technology being applied to them is forever growing in sophistication. Satellites are specifically made for telecommunication purpose. They are used for mobile applications such as communication to ships, vehicles, planes, hand-held terminals and for TV and radio broadcasting. A satellite works most efficiently when the transmissions are focused with a desired area. When the area is focused, then the emissions dont go outside that designated area and thus minimizing the interference to the other systems. This leads more efficient spectrum usage. Satellites antenna patterns play an important role and must be designed to best cover the designated geographical area. Satellites should be designed by keeping in mind its usability for short and long term effects throughout its life time.

Brief History
Satellite television's history stretches back to 1945, when "2001: A Space Odyssey" author Arthur C. Clarke proposed that by placing three space platforms into special orbits 22,300 miles above the equator, worldwide communications were possible. And so, satellite TV's evolution began. Using Clarke's theory as a guide in 1957, Russia launched Sputnik, the world's first satellite to orbit the Earth. Satellite broadcasting progressed further when in 1963, a U.S. Navy ship in Nigeria's harbor and a naval station in Lakehurst, N.J., used the first communications satellite as a means to stay in touch.

Features
In 1976, Stanford University Professor and former NASA scientist Emeritus H. Taylor Howard created the first consumer Direct to Home (DTH) Satellite System. The large dish-shaped antenna picked up programs from overhead satellites, and in March 1978, the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) launched the Public Television Satellite System. At this point, thanks to Television Receive Only (TVRO), almost anyone--including rural-area residents who previously could not receive this kind of programming with standard methods--could receive satellite signals.

Regulations
Satellite providers initially failed to get Federal Communications Commission (FCC) support in controlling users' ability to receive free signals. The "open skies' policy" granted users and broadcasters equal rights, in receiving satellite signals or transmitting them. However, in 1980, the FCC established Direct Broadcast Satellites (DBS), which rotated around the earth in geostationary orbit. Consumers had to possess a DTH system and decoder to receive signals and unscramble encrypted ones. Four years later, the 1984 Cable Act granted cable programming providers the right to encrypt their satellite feeds.

Effects
Japan and Hong Kong were the first to launch satellites for the mass consumer market in 1986 and 1990, with the United States' first DBS company--the now-defunct Primestar--following shortly thereafter. Ushering in the small digital satellite dish TV era, other U.S. companies such as DirecTV and the DISH Network provided competition, with low-pricing battles benefiting consumers.

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Famous Ties
During satellite television's early stages, some key innovators to relay their signal via satellite included nonterrestrial television network Home Box Office (HBO), Ted Turner and Pat Robertson, who uplinked Atlanta UHF station WTBS and the Christian Broadcasting Network (now ABC Family Channel), respectively.

Applications of Satellites
Weather Forecasting
Certain satellites are specifically designed to monitor the climatic conditions of earth. They continuously monitor the assigned areas of earth and predict the weather conditions of that region. This is done by taking images of earth from the satellite. These images are transferred using assigned radio frequency to the earth station. These satellites are exceptionally useful in predicting disasters like hurricanes, and monitor the changes in the Earth's vegetation, sea state, ocean color, and ice fields. Radio and TV Broadcast These dedicated satellites are responsible for making 100s of channels across the globe available for everyone. They are also responsible for broadcasting live matches, news, worldwide radio services. These satellites require a 30-40 cm sized dish to make these channels available globally.

Military Satellites

These satellites are often used for gathering intelligence, as a communications satellite used for military purposes, or as a military weapon. A satellite by itself is neither military nor civil. It is the kind of payload it carries that enables one to arrive at a decision regarding its military or civilian character. Navigation Satellites The system allows for precise localization world-wide, and with some additional techniques, the precision is in the range of some meters. Ships and aircraft rely on GPS as an addition to traditional navigation systems. Many vehicles come with installed GPS receivers. This system is also used, e.g., for fleet management of trucks or for vehicle localization in case of theft.

Global Telephone One of the first applications of satellites for communication was the establishment of international telephone backbones. Instead of using cables it was sometimes faster to launch a new satellite. But, fiber optic cables are still replacing satellite communication across long distance as in fiber optic cable, light is used instead of radio frequency, hence making the communication much faster (and of course, reducing the delay caused due to the amount of distance a signal needs to travel before reaching the destination.). Using satellites, to typically reach a distance approximately 10,000 kms away, the signal needs to travel almost 72,000 kms, that is, sending data from ground to satellite and (mostly) from satellite to another location on earth. This causes substantial amount of delay and this delay becomes more prominent for users during voice calls.

Connecting Remote Areas Due to their geographical location many places all over the world do not have direct wired connection to the telephone network or the internet (e.g., researchers on Antarctica) or because of the current state of the infrastructure of a country. Here the satellite provides a co mplete coverage and there is one satellite always present across a horizon. Global Mobile Communication The basic purpose of satellites for mobile communication is to extend the area of coverage. Cellular phone systems, such as AMPS and GSM (and their successors) do not cover all parts of a country. Areas that are not covered usually have low population where it is too expensive to install a base station. With the integration of satellite communication, however, the mobile phone can switch to satellites offering world-wide connectivity to a

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customer. Satellites cover a certain area on the earth. This area is termed as a footprint of that satellite. Within the footprint, communication with that satellite is possible for mobile users. These users communicate using a Mobile-User-Link (MUL). The base-stations communicate with satellites using a Gateway-Link (GWL). Sometimes it becomes necessary for satellite to create a communication link between users belonging to two different footprints. Here the satellites send signals to each other and this is done using Inter-Satellite-Link (ISL).

Types of Satellite
Following are the types of Satellite:

Geostationary or geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO)

GEO satellites are synchronous with respect to earth. Looking from a fixed point from Earth, these satellites appear to be stationary. These satellites are placed in the space in such a way that only three satellites are sufficient to provide connection throughout the surface of the Earth

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites:

These satellites are placed 500-1500 kms above the surface of the earth. As LEOs circulate on a lower orbit, hence they exhibit a much shorter period that is 95 to 120 minutes. LEO systems try to ensure a high elevation for every spot on earth to provide a high quality communication link. Each LEO satellite will only be visible from the earth for around ten minutes.

Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites:

MEOs can be positioned somewhere between LEOs and GEOs, both in terms of their orbit and due to their advantages and disadvantages. Using orbits around 10,000 km, the system only requires a dozen satellites which is more than a GEO system, but much less than a LEO system. These satellites move more slowly relative to the earths rotation allowing a simpler system design (satellite periods are about six hours). Depending on the inclination, a MEO can cover larger populations, so requiring fewer handovers. The above three are the major three categories of satellites, apart from these; the satellites are also classified based on the following types of orbits:

Sun- Synchronous Orbits satellites:

These satellites rise and set with the sun. Their orbit is defined in such a way that they are always facing the sun and hence they never go through an eclipse. For these satellites, the surface illumination angle will be nearly the same every time.

Hohmann Transfer Orbit: This is an intermediate orbit having a highly elliptical shape. It is used by GEO
satellites to reach their final destination orbits.

Prograde orbit: This orbit is with an inclination of less than 90. Its direction is the same as the direction
as the rotation of the primary.

Retrograde orbit: This orbit is with an inclination of more than 90. Its direction is counter to the direction of rotation of the planet. Only few satellites are launched into retrograde orbit because the quantity of fuel required to launch them is much greater than for a prograde orbit.

Polar Orbits

This orbit passes above or nearly above both poles (North and South Pole) of the planet on each of its revolutions. Therefore it has an inclination of (or very close to) 90 degrees. These orbits are highly inclined in shape.

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Cable vs. Satellite

Cable TV and satellite TV have been competing against each other for many years now. Each has its advantages and drawbacks over the other while both aim to offer the consumer a wider range of channels and content. Generally Cable TV is favorable in built up areas where as Satellite TV the only option out in the country is.

Availability

Satellite TV providers send a signal from a ground center to multiple satellites orbiting the Earth, allowing anyone with a satellite dish and the proper set-top receiver to view their programming. Satellite TV providers protect their networks by encrypting and encoding their signals and controlling the types of devices that can play back the signals to discourage theft, explains Ed Tittel of Digital Landing. Digital cable is available only in areas where its providers are located. A digital cable package requires a set-top box, which the cable company will provide, along with audio and video cables and a remote control. These set-top devices must be authorized by the cable company before use and are closely monitored to prevent theft.

Monthly Costs

Satellite TV package costs vary by provider, with basic packages beginning as low as $20 per month and premium packages extending to more than $100 per month, and generally require a 12-to-24-month contract. Other televisions in your home will require receivers leased at an additional cost. Digital cable costs vary by provider and location, with prices ranging from approximately $10 per month for basic packages to $120 per month for premium packages. A monthly rental fee is usually charged for set-top boxes and additional rooms. For both satellite and digital cable, services such as HDTV, DVR and premium channels typically cost extra.

Installation and Cancellation

Installation and activation is usually free for satellite TV and includes the satellite system, set-top receiver and remote control. Digital cable installation costs usually range from $20 to $40 and include a set-top cable box, cables and a remote control. Upon service cancellation, both satellite TV and digital cable providers require consumers to return leased equipment, which includes satellite systems, set-top receivers or cable boxes, DVRs and remote controls. You may return this equipment to the company yourself or request a service call to have it removed, which you may be charged for.

Bonus Features

Both satellite TV and digital cable providers offer a variety of bonus features. Satellite TV providers offer channel packages to accommodate the consumer's preferences, including pay-per-view broadcasts of movies, concerts and sporting events, as well as HDTV and DVR services. Satellite TV providers partner with separate companies to provide high-speed Internet and phone service that can be "bundled" into the satellite package at a discounted rate. Cable companies offer similar channel packages, pay-per-view and on-demand options, HDTV and DVR availability. Some cable companies also offer digital phone and high-speed Internet services, which may be similarly bundled into the cable package at discounted rates.

Reliability

Satellite dishes must be able to "see" the provider's satellite in orbit. Satellite signals can be disrupted by heavy precipitation and high winds that move obstacles, such as trees, into the satellite dish's line of sight. Most disruptions are occasional and temporary, but they can be minimized by properly securing your satellite dish in an area with the clearest line of sight possible. While outages may occur as a result of downed or damaged cable lines, digital cable reception is not typically affected by obstacles or severe weather.

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Advantages of Satellite TV
With the many options available for television viewing, many people are turning to satellite television to provide entertainment in their home. While there are many different reasons to choose satellite television service, the most important advantages are the wide range of channels that satellite TV providers are offering, the lower price when compared to cable television, and the quality of the signal and equipment provided.

Channel Selection

The number of channels you can watch on a satellite television signal is quite large. Many satellite television companies offer high definition (HD) packages as well as standard channels. Many times, a single channel is offered in both HD and standard formats, giving the consumer even more choices. Another feature that many satellite providers offer is the ability to subscribe to both the East Coast and West Coast channel feeds of cable channels like HBO, Showtime and The Cartoon Network, and Fox Sports channels from all areas of the country. Satellite companies also can provide network affiliate channels in your local market, just like cable companies.

Price

Another feature of satellite television is the price. Unlike many of the local cable providers, satellite providers are forced to compete with each other. Due to this increased competition, customers benefit by being offered lower rates by multiple companies. Satellite companies often throw in dozens of features such as free HBO, or local channels for just a penny extra. These incentives are great at helping you determine which satellite provider is best for you. Also, having more than one television connected to a satellite television system is much more economically feasible than with a cable provider. The charges for a satellite television box are usually inexpensive, and may even be included free as another incentive from your satellite television company. However, you should make sure that you understand the conditions of the offer made by each satellite TV provider when comparing your options, because many of the special offers made to new customers only last for a limited time.

Signal Quality

The signal that you receive whenever you are watching satellite television is usually a higher quality signal than you could receive if you used cable television. This is because the signal has to be compressed and split several times by cable networks in order to deliver the content from the cable network's hub to everyone in the area who subscribes. With a satellite television, there signal is delivered in a digital format directly to the customer's receiver, providing higher quality signal than any cable company.

Other Advantages

Being able to set up certain online features is another benefit to satellite television. Depending upon your provider, you can schedule your DVR to record shows on your satellite television connection even if you are not able to program them in at your home. This is a feature that came out first in a satellite television company, and had not been produced by a cable company as of 2009.

Disadvantages of Satellite Television

Satellite service provides an alternative choice to cable television. DirecTV and Dish Network both provide typically the same stations you can find on cable but usually at a lower price tag. However, there are some disadvantages of satellite television you may want to think about before signing up for service.

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Cost

Satellites are expensive. In addition to the cost of building one of these devices, there is also the cost of launching the satellite into space. In 2008, "The Sunday Times" reported that the cost of launching a satellite using a new French rocket would be $120 million. This cost may rise as satellites grow and become more complex to handle different purposes.

Signal

Another problem with satellites is their somewhat unreliable signal. There are different factors that affect the strength and reception of a satellite signal. Errors might be made by the satellite or anyone working on it. This can cause a variable level of interference to the signal. There are also circumstances, such as weather which may be impossible to alter, that affect the satellite's signal. All these things can cause interference and make proper operation of the satellite very difficult.

Propagation Delay

Propagation delay is the term used to describe the length of time it takes for the satellite to communicate with Earth. This delay can vary greatly. More than anything else, this is caused by the huge distance over which the satellite must send the signal. The time can vary between 270 milliseconds to reach the satellite from Earth and return again to 320 milliseconds. This delay can cause an echo over telephone connections.

Repair

Satellites used to be impossible to maintain or repair in any way. Only with the successful repair of the Hubble Telescope did that change and it is still extremely difficult to repair a satellite. In February 2010, NASA announced it was in the process of designing robots whose sole purpose would be to repair satellites. The operation is being handled by a new department at NASA called the Satellite Servicing Development Office.

Conclusion
Satellite TV comes in two forms, as a part of a subscription package based system or custom built by the user. Most broadcasters such as Sky Digital offer its equipment free of charge when the user takes up a years subscription contract and just pay for the once-off installation and monthly fee. One advantage with digital satellite TV is a wider range of channels; usually more than cable. The main advantage of satellite TV over cable is the ability to freely explore free-to-air channels provided on a wide range of satellites. This is where a custom built satellite system becomes very useful particularly when accompanied by a motorized or multi dish setup. While custom built systems can work out rather expensive, the user gets far more features than a Sky receiver when it comes to exploring foreign satellites. Satellite TV does carry a few drawbacks over cable however. A separate coaxial line must be brought to the dish for each additional receiver and most satellite providers charge quite a bit extra on the subscription for each additional receiver. Also some users may find a satellite dish unsightly on or around their house. Many countries also require planning permission for large dish sizes (over 1 metre in diameter) or for placement on listed buildings.

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References
www.oecd-ilibrary.org

The Disadvantages of Satellites | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8607699_disadvantagessatellites.html#ixzz2LJroFcn7 The Advantages of Satellite Television | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5206476_advantagessatellite-television.html#ixzz2LJnaQ7cA
www.scribd.com

http://www.specialty.com/hiband/satellite_index.html

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