Satellite TV is delivered by communications satellites, as opposed to conventional terrestrial and cable television. In many areas of the world satellite television services supplement older terrestrial signals, providing a wider range of channels and services, including subscription-only services.

Standards

Analogue television is usually sent (scrambled or unscrambled) in PAL, NTSC, or SECAM television satellite broadcast standards. Digital television, including that transmitted via satellites, is generally based upon open standards such as MPEG and DVB-S. Some of the encryption/scrambling methods include BISS, Conax, CryptoWorks, DigiCipher, DreamCrypt, Irdeto, MediaGuard, NagraVision, PowerVu, SHL, Sidsa, Viaccess, Videocipher, VideoGuard and XCrypt.

Satellite Television – A Look At Some Of The Available Services

Canada
In Canada, the two legal DBS services available are Bell Canada’s ExpressVu and StarChoice. Hundreds of thousands (up to a million by some estimates) of Canadians access or have accessed American services – usually these services have to be billed to an American address and are paid for in U.S. dollars.

United States
DirecTV, the first high-powered DBS system, went online in 1994 and was the first North American DBS service; it is now owned by News Corporation.
In 1996, EchoStar’s Dish Network went online in the United States and has gone on to similar success as DirecTV’s primary competitor.
The majority of ethnic-language broadcasts to North America are carried on Ku band free-to-air; the largest concentration of ethnic programming is on Intelsat Americas 5 at 97° W. GlobeCast World TV offers a mix of free and pay-TV ethnic channels in the internationally-standard DVB-S format, as do others. Home2US Communications Inc. also offers ethnic programming, the platform is on AMC-4 at 101° W, with several ethnic channels as well as free and pay-TV. Several U.S.-English language network affiliates (representing CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, Fox, WB, i and UPN) are available as free-to-air broadcasts, as are the three U.S.-Spanish language networks (Univisión, Telefutura and Telemundo). The number of free-to-air specialty channels is otherwise rather limited…..

Continental Western Europe
In Europe, DBS satellite services are found mainly on Astra satellites and Hotbird (operated by Eutelsat), with Sky Italia, Canal Digitaal and UPC being the main providers in Italy, Western Europe and Central Europe.
BSkyB (known as Sky) also serves Northern Europe and many channels can be received as far away as Cyprus.

United Kingdom
Other than the satellite companies mentioned above, there is Sky Digital – a closed network requiring the companies licensed set top boxes

Americans are slowly changing the way that they listen to music. Instead of listening to limited radio stations that are sometimes filled with commercials, people are now getting their music through satellite radio.

Sirius and XM are the top suppliers of satellite radio. To listen to this amazing, commercial free programming all listeners will need a satellite radio player. If you are interested in making the switch from traditional radio programming to satellite radio then you have four options when it comes to selecting a player.

(1) Satellite Radio Players for the Car

When you are in your car, how often do you turn the radio on? Since the majority of Americans listen to music when they are in their vehicle, satellite radio players for the car are always in demand. Satellite radio players that are designed for cars often come in two varieties. There are some players that can be inserted where a traditional car radio goes. These players would require a mounting plate. Circle or other shaped players can be mounted on the dashboard or the ceiling of vehicle.

The average price for satellite radio players designed for the car is between $70 and $150.

(2) Portable Satellite Radio Players

In addition to satellite radio, other advancements in music include Ipods and MP3 players. These products are popular because they are portable. One thing that many individuals, maybe even yourself included, do not know about satellite radios is that some of them are also portable. These portable players are most commonly used when exercising or traveling on foot.

The average price for a portable satellite radio is between $200 and $350.

(3) Home-based Satellite Radio Players

Satellite radio players that are designed for home are similar to the above mentioned players; however, they are often stationary. Home-based satellite radios come in a wide variety of different designs. The different design options make it possible to match a player with a particular home dcor color or style. Due to the size of most home satellite radios, they are often unable to be used in vehicles or as portable players.

The average price for a home-based satellite radio player is between $100 and $400.

(4) AllinOne Satellite Radios

If you are music lover then it is likely that the above mentioned satellite radio players appealed to you, but what if all of them did? Purchasing a satellite radio player for the home, vehicle, and another one to take with wherever you go can get fairly expensive. All-in-one satellite radios are a solution to that potentially expensive problem. All-in-one satellite radios are small enough so they can be transported whenever you go and they can also be used in the home or in your car.

The average price of an all-in-one satellite player is between $150 and $350.

The features found on a satellite radio player will all depend on the manufacturer; however, there are some common product features. The majority of satellite radio players come with rechargeable batteries, full color displays, channel presents, a remote control, and song storage. Portable players are likely to come with headphones and a belt clip. Satellite radios that are designed for the vehicle are likely to come with stands, suction cups, and other dashboard accessories.

If you are interested in subscribing to a commercial-free satellite radio service then you will need at least one of the above mentioned satellite radio players. Of course, you have the final decision when it comes to selecting a particular player, but you should know that all-in-one satellite radio players are now the most popular. All-in-one satellite radios give you the ability to hook the player up to your car speakers, your speakers at home, or your headphones. To most Americans, the features are well worth the price.

About the Author:

Matt Barstow offers valuable tips and information about satellite radio, players, and services. Read his latest report answering the most popular questions about satellite radio. http://www.satellite-radio-review.net

Written By: Matt Barstow