Science Information

How Satellite TV Systems Originated


What we know as satellite tv actually had its origins in the space race which began with the launching of the satellite Sputnik by the Russians in 1957. The first communication satellite was developed and launched by a consortium of business and government entities in 1963. It was known as Syncom II and achieved an orbit at 22,300 miles over the Atlantic. The first satellite communication was between a U.S. Navy ship in the harbor of Lagos, Nigeria and the U.S. Army located at the naval station at Lakehurst, New Jersey on July 26, 1963.

Telephone companies began using satellite communication for communicating as land based distribution methods became overloaded. Television began using satellites on March 1, 1978 when the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) introduced Public Television Satellite Service. Broadcast networks adopted satellite communication as a distribution method from 1978 through 1984. As the use of satellites for communication and broadcast purposes increased, it became evident that everyone had the potential to receive satellite signals for free.

Direct to Home (DTH) satellite receivers were developed in the early 1980's. Rural areas thus gained the capacity to receive television programming that was not capable of being received by standard methods. With the development of television receive only (TVRO), broadcasters began to complain that reception of their signals were being either received illegally or pirated. The position of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was governed by its "open skies' policy. It was the FCC's position that users had as much right to receive satellite signals as broadcasters had the right to transmit them.

The broadcasters, in response to this government policy, began to use developed technologies which allowed them to scramble the signals they were broadcasting. Users, in turn, had to buy a decoder from a satellite program provider that packaged programs similar to the packages provided by cable systems. Ideas began to abound about the potential market for satellite television. The FCC, following the World Administrative Radio Conference of 1979, in 1980 established the plans and policy for a new service, direct broadcast satellite or DBS. This new service was to consist of a broadcast satellite in geostationary orbit, facilities for transmitting signals to the satellite and equipment needed by individuals to access the signals.

Early successful attempts to launch satellites for the mass consumer market were led by Japan and Hong Kong in 1986 and 1990, respectively. The first successful attempt by the United States was made by a group of major cable companies and was named Primestar. Next came Direct TV. Echostar Dish Network entered the market in the Spring of 1996 offering cheaper prices and forcing all of its competitors to do likewise.

For a huge directory of resources related to everything to do with satellite tv, dishes and systems, check out free satellite resources. You'll also discover how to get FREE installation of a satellite tv system in up to four rooms with up to four receivers, without having to buy any equipment.


MORE RESOURCES:

eFluxMedia

No Tabletop Fusion? Purdue Scientist Falsified Research Record
eFluxMedia - 4 hours ago
His first paper on the subject of sonoluminescence and sonofusion was published in 2002 in Science, despite heavy opposition from several reviewers. ...
Purdue physicist found guilty of misconduct Los Angeles Times
"Tabletop" Fusion Researcher Committed Scientific Misconduct Slashdot
Purdue panel finds misconduct in professor's nuclear fusion research Chicago Tribune
The Associated Press - RedOrbit
all 164 news articles


Camp CSI Birmingham eyes science in crime shows
Daily Comet, LA - 1 hour ago
It sounds fun, but it's also meant to give participants, high school students from around the Birmingham metro area, a solid foundation in the science ...


Boston Globe

Ocean of learning for science teachers
Boston Globe, United States - 14 hours ago
But for a group of 26 Boston-area teachers, school had barely ended when their own intensive learning about marine science and the Boston waterfront started ...


Failing grade: US losing its science edge [10 hrs ago]
NewsOK.com (subscription), OK - 14 hours ago
In 2005, a group of more than a dozen well-heeled business groups warned that the country needed more teachers and degreed workers in science, technology, ...


Midland College set to start two new science programs this fall
MyWestTexas.com, TX - 11 hours ago
by Ruth Campbell By Ruth Campbell Associate degrees in biomedical science and chemical technology are set to start this fall at Midland College. ...
Nursing Classes to Start at A&M RedOrbit
all 2 news articles


Science news straight from the oven
ScienceBlog.com, CA - 1 hour ago
The evidence strongly supports the interpretation of the mathematics of general relativity that says gravitational waves do indeed exist and are, ...


Capital News 9

Results Mixed On Connecticut Mastery Test
Hartford Courant, United States - Jul 18, 2008
By ARIELLE LEVIN BECKER | Courant Staff Writer No one knew exactly what to expect when the state began testing fifth- and eighth-graders in science this ...
Math, writing, science scores up in CAPTs Newsday
CAPT results are in: Reading scores slip Wilton Bulletin
Westport's CAPT Scores Beat State Average Westport-News
Hartford Courant - Hartford Courant
all 106 news articles


Offshore drilling needs more science, less politics
Beaufort Gazette, SC - 16 hours ago
The argument for new offshore drilling, however, is based more on election-year posturing and political brush-offs than science and logic. ...


BBC News

Grunting, humming fish joins ancient chorus
Scientific American - Jul 18, 2008
They report in Science that the parts of the brain and spinal cord that control the rhythm of those muscles develop in a pattern similar to that of other ...
Researchers report toadfish sing to attract mates The Associated Press
PHOTOS: Noisy Fish Reveal Evolution of Vocalizing National Geographic
We all sing like fish Science News
BBC News - Daily Mail
all 192 news articles


ScienceBlogs

Evolution, Life Sciences, Science Education, Human Evolution, and ...
ScienceBlogs - 19 hours ago
My name is Greg Laden. You can find out about me here, contact me here, and for all the gory details, have a look at this... More than 400 baby penguins ...

Science - Google News

home | site map | Xray Photography
© 2006