Cable and Satellite TV Articles

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Riley Hendersen @ Tuesday, 24th April 2007 @ 8:38 PM

With more satellite providers coming online all the time, the age of cable television is slowly starting to come to an end. The advantages satellite has over regular cable are becoming more and more clear as subscribers to services such as Dish Network Satellite TV begin to grow. While it used to be services like Dish Network Satellite TV only worked on sunny days when the dish was held just right, technological advances have made images of people standing on their roofs to enhance recept... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Bill Reckwerdt @ Monday, 23rd April 2007 @ 12:36 AM

Over recent decades, the role of video images has grown steadily. Advances in technologies underlying the capture, transfer, storage, and display of images have created situations where communicating using images has become economically feasible. More importantly, video images are in many situations an extremely efficient way of communicating as witnessed by the proverb "a picture is worth a 1000 words." Notwithstanding these technological advances, the current state of the art re... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Troy Degarnham @ Friday, 20th April 2007 @ 11:08 AM

First of all, unlike earlier satellite communications which relied on a motorized dish to chase the mobile satellites across the sky, modern satellites are placed into a geosynchronous orbit about 37,000 km (22,300 miles) up. This means that they always remain above the same point on the earth's surface. That way, all dishes on the earth can be pointed at a fixed location, and the satellite will always be there. The signal to be broadcast originates at an "uplink center", w... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Roy Edwards @ Friday, 13th April 2007 @ 1:04 PM

If you're like me, I can't seem to do anything just one thing at a time. I have to be able to do multiple things all the time and that includes watching sports events. Watching one sports event at a time just doesn't work for me, I want to watch multiple sports events and Satellite Sports TV with the right TV makes it easy. Using either a split screen picture, picture-in-picture (PIP), or multiple televisions you can watch several sports events at the same time. In the wo... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Chris Marshall @ Friday, 6th April 2007 @ 2:28 PM

The date has been set for the first Digital TV switchover in the UK. The analogue TV signal will be turned off from 17 October in Whitehaven area of western Cumbria. First to go will be BBC2 before being followed by the remaining analogue channels on November 14. The move means that the 25,000 residents of Whitehaven will have to switch to Digital TV by those dates in order to keep receiving TV. In order to receive Digital TV people will need to purchase a Freeview set-top box or subscri... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Bill Reckwerdt @ Thursday, 5th April 2007 @ 2:24 PM

This paper explores the challenges Video Encoder (MPEG, JPEG, WAVLET Compression) Equipment Manufacturers face when assessing video quality. Assessing video quality ultimately depends on the customer's reaction on their new display (PC, POD, TV, etc.). For visual and audio data, some loss of quality can be tolerated without losing the essential nature of the data. By taking advantage of the limitations of the human sensory system, a great deal of space can be saved while producing a... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Bill Reckwerdt @ Thursday, 5th April 2007 @ 2:21 PM

This paper explores the challenges Broadcasters face when assessing video quality. Many factors affect the video before it gets to the TV: compression, image processing, scaling, decoding, transmission, etc. Video processing and compression algorithms change the characteristics of the original program in the quest of reducing the bandwidth needed to send the programming information to the home. The art is to do this without allowing the audience to perceive a change in video quality. Suc... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Bill Reckwerdt @ Thursday, 5th April 2007 @ 2:20 PM

This paper explores the challenges Video Equipment Manufacturers face when assessing video quality. Assessing video quality ultimately depends on the customer's reaction on their new display (PC, POD, TV, etc.). Set-top box (STB) functions are continually advancing, but the customers' reactions are usually centered on the quality of the picture. So testing is increasing important. The test setup simply stated is * Start with a known video sequence. * Decode the processed... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Daniel Millions @ Wednesday, 4th April 2007 @ 8:24 PM

Satellite is often considered one of the biggest improvements in broadcasting since the introduction of the FM band. Satellite radio is also called subscription radio or pay-radio because it is only available trough subscription to one of the satellite radio providing companies. Satellite follows a concept similar to cable television by providing a very wide range of programs which are not available in the traditional FM or AM format for a fee. Satellite uses satellites to deli... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Reginald Sharp @ Friday, 23rd March 2007 @ 11:12 AM

This article will help you make an informed decision about why you should choose satellite TV. What Is Satellite TV? Satellite TV is a wireless system for delivering television programming directly to a viewer's house or business. A small dish, about 18 to 24 inches in diameter, is installed outside your house or business. Television and satellite stations transmit programming via a radio signal. How Does It Work? Broadcast stations use a powerful antenna to tran... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Riley Hendersen @ Wednesday, 21st March 2007 @ 12:53 AM

Satellite receivers are pieces of equipment that are used to capture satellite signals whether for radio or television. Satellite radio and satellite television both use different types of satellite receivers in order to relay the signals to the consumer. A satellite receiver can be a tool, such as a satellite dish, or something as little as a card, such as for a satellite radio, which simply channels in a certain frequency. Satellite equipment usually includes a satellite dish that i... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Stephanie Foster @ Tuesday, 20th March 2007 @ 4:18 AM

This is one of those hard questions to answer. It is not as straightforward as it may seem. Which option is best for you depends on what is offered in your area as well as your own needs. Cable television certainly has a lot of advantages, especially now that digital options are available. Lots of channels and a wonderful range of packages to choose from. Many companies will give you the option to have service on multiple televisions as well. Cable television is also available in m... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Davion Wong @ Tuesday, 20th March 2007 @ 3:53 AM

To watch satellite TV on PC is touted as the future of satellite television viewing. It seems that this craze is sweeping across the globe like a stoppable fire. Mums and dads, children, teens, grandpas and grandmas have been spotted watching their favourite TV programs on their PC. It looks like PC satellite television or internet TV is set to be the champion of TV viewing systems. Why is it popular to watch satellite TV on PC? There are some simple explanations for the rise to stardom o... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By C R Ellsworth @ Tuesday, 20th March 2007 @ 3:30 AM

Recently the "Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act" was passed. This sets February 17th - 2009, as the "final-cut-off-date" for Over-The-Air Analog TV Broadcasts. That means your 'Rabbit Ears' and the tall antenna on your roof will be useless except for lawn ornaments. To watch any TV presentation that originates outside of your home you will need new hardware. The minimum will be an HDTV with a digital tuner. The tuner can be integrated or exte... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Cher K Markov @ Thursday, 8th March 2007 @ 3:58 PM

Gone are the days when cable TV was a simple matter of turning the idiot box on and settling down to a baseball or basketball broadcast. With the advent of technology, Satellite TV has come and occupied a premium place in the hearts of the people. The first satellite television signal was relayed from Europe to the Telstar satellite over North America in 1962. Satellite TV is dominating the US market with its best quality picture, maximum number of channels for the least amount of money a... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Riley Hendersen @ Wednesday, 7th March 2007 @ 12:33 AM

A satellite descrambler is a satellite card that contains specific software for authorized satellite users to access a clear, digital satellite picture that they usually pay a monthly subscription fee for. This is the piece of technology designed by companies to deal with the increasing problem of unauthorized users hacking the signals. Without the appropriate descrambler the user will only receive the scrambled signal from the satellite. An authorized user is given the appropriate de... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Chris Marshall @ Thursday, 1st March 2007 @ 11:13 PM

The dispute between Virgin Media and Sky over the rights to a number of non-premium Sky channels has dragged on over the weekend and now enters a crucial stage with the channels set to go off air for Virgin Media customers this Thursday (March 1). The row regards the renegotiation between Virgin Media and Sky for the non-premium Sky channels, including Sky One, Two and Three, as well as Sky News, Sky Sports News and Sky Travel. The current deal is set to expire on Thursday and so far no ... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Chris Marshall @ Thursday, 1st March 2007 @ 11:09 PM

Virgin Media customers look set to lose a number of Sky channels after talks broke down between the two companies. Virgin Media look set to drop the Sky Basics package, which includes such channels as Sky One, Sky News, Sky Sports News and Sky Travel, after Sky raised the fees it charges the cable company to carry them. Premimum channels such as Sky Sports and Sky Movies are unaffected. The news comes after weeks of negotiations and a hardline marketing campaign by the two compani... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Riley Hendersen @ Wednesday, 21st February 2007 @ 12:20 AM

Global Star Satellite phones are an essential communication tool for many businesses, as well as individual professionals. While most well developed areas are covered by mobile network antennas providing maximum coverage there are remote parts of the world where a normal mobile phone is completely unusable. This doesn't even mean a third world country, some areas, such as Alaska, are just so isolated that a normal mobile phone won't cut it and a satellite phone can help out professiona... more...

Technology » Cable and Satellite TV | By Riley Hendersen @ Thursday, 15th February 2007 @ 3:17 AM

Dish network satellite TV has become an increasingly popular option among consumers who want more than the basic four or five stations, but who aren't satisfied with what basic cable has to offer. It is popular because there are so many choices as to not only channels, but also various packages that the consumer can buy in order to get a wide variety of entertainment. Even the most eclectic consumer can most likely find a combination of channels that will satisfy their every need. It... more...