A satellite finder is a specialized signal-strength meter used to point satellite dishes and LNBs. There are two general classes of satellite finders: analog and digital satellite finders. Analog Satellite Finder Most analog satellite finders are inexpensive devices which simply display the strength of the received signal. To use an analog satellite finder, you point the satellite dish and LNB to where you believe the satellite to be. You then take a reading on the satellite finder and adjust the satellite dish and LNB until you get the strongest reading Read More

Dish 500 is a satellite dish provided by Dish Network that was developed to replace the discontinued Dish 300 model. Dish 500 is slightly larger than the Dish 300 model at 20” in diameter, but is capable of receiving broadcasts from both the 110°W and the 119°W orbital locations owned by EchoStar, effectively doubling the capacity that was provided by the Dish 300 and allowing Dish Network and EchoStar to provide customers with up to 500 channels to a single satellite dish.   How Dish 500 Works Dish 500 had Read More

Irdeto is a company which sells conditional access systems for digital satellite and cable television. Irdeto is a division of Naspers, a South African company. In common usage, the term Irdeto is most used to refer to the Irdeto encryption system used by satellite broadcasters such as South Africa’s DStv and Australia’s Austar. The current revision of Irdeto is Irdeto 2. Irdeto is marketed in two packages, M-Crypt and PIsys. M-Crypt is marketed to small and medium sized digital broadcasters, while PIsys is marketed to digital broadcasters with large users Read More

To receive all of the DirecTV HD channels you must have, at minumum, a triple LNB that receives transmissions from the DirecTV satellites at 101, 110 and 119 degrees West longitude. The DirecTV satellite dishes which support the triple LNB include: DirecTV Phase II Plus Dish DirecTV Phase III Dish Alternative, for future compatability with DirecTV’s new Ka Band MPEG-4 HD programming, you can use the AT9 MPEG-4 Compatible Ku/Ka Band dish with five LNBs. With an older satellite dish with only one or two LNB’s, you will be able Read More

A DBS, or Direct Broadcast Satellite, is a type of satellite that is used to broadcast data directly to a residence or commercial office, without the use of intermediary cables or other routing equipment. DBS systems are most commonly used for direct broadcast television and Internet access, in which users from anywhere in the world can receive television and Internet services even if no local cable companies are available. Because DBS systems are able to transfer data directly to and from a residence or other property without the use of Read More

Satellite TV works by broadcasting video and audio signals from geostationary satellites to satellite dishes on the Earth’s surface. These geostationary satellites orbit the earth in a region of space known as the Clarke Belt, which is approximately 22,300 miles above the equator. Each of these satellites carries a number of transponders. These transponders each carry a signal back to the Earth. These signals are typically on C Band, Ku Band, or Ka Band. The band of a signal describes, in broad terms, the frequency of the signal. After travelling Read More

Standard professional satellite dish installation is free for those interested in receiving DirecTV service. However, customers can easily install the DirecTV satellite dish on their own. Here are some tips. When installing a DirecTV satellite dish it is important to first have all the major parts necessary to install it and connect it to the TV set. These parts include the DirecTV satellite dish, any hardware necessary to install the dish, special cable, telephone line cable, DirecTV satellite dish receiver, and a TV set. DirecTV Satellite Dish The DirecTV satellite Read More

Interactive TV is when the viewer and broadcaster can communicate with each other, usually in real time. Normal TV flows in a one way path, from the broadcaster to the viewer, however interactive TV, usually includes a digital modem or other form of hardware that can return information or data from the viewer back to the broadcaster which can include either the cable operator, satellite TV operator or broadcast company. Interactive TV sometimes referred to as iTV has been growing in popularity and today with new innovations in technology is Read More

DirecTV Phase I Satellite Dish The DirecTV Phase I Satellite Dish was the original DirecTV dish. This is an 18" satellite dish with one LNB. This dish can only receive signal from DirecTV satellites at 101 degrees. DirecTV Phase II Satellite Dish DirecTV introduced the Phase II Satellite Dish in 1998. The Phase II dish can receive signals from the DirecTV satellites at 110 and 119 degrees. DirecTV Phase II Plus Satellite Dish The DirecTV Phase II Plus Satellite Dish is very similar to the Phase II dish, except that Read More

DigiCipher II (DCII) is a Motorola proprietary digital video distribution system. DigiCipher II provides compression, encryption, and authorization. DigiCipher II compression is based upon MPEG-2. DigiCipher II is utilized for some TVRO transmissions. A Motorola 4DTV satellite receiver is required to decode DigiCipher II TVRO channels. DigiCipher II utilizes AC3 audio encoding.