C.P.Scott had jokingly predicted that nothing good would come of television. “The word is half Greek and half Latin”. Fortunately, TV changed the world, and brought the far away to our homes. The 20th century is very rightly called the century of the television. Yet, TV evolved technologically, and it changed within a changing policy and commercial ambience. Satellite TV was born of this changed scenario that demanded a freedom from technological restraints.

The Satellite TV is a broadcasting system in which TV signals, instead of passing through terrestrial electromagnetic signals or cables, is relayed through a communications satellite. The path of transmission of the signals is from the uplinking station (which may or may not be the programming provider) to the satellite and from there directly to homes or booster ground stations (which may be the local service provider).

Satellite TV service can be, accordingly, via two modes. The first mode, which is becoming increasingly popular around the world, is called Direct-to-Home (DTH), where, as the name says, signal is directly sent to the subscribers which is captured through a small dish antenna and descrambled through a set-top box. The other mode, called Television Receive-only or TVRO, relies on larger dish antennas, and the signal system is not a closed proprietary system. The benefits of Satellite TV are obvious – greater coverage, as you can see your favorite channel in a desert or on sea.

Expatriates can now feel at home as they can see channels they used to see back home. The quality of signal is also better than other available options in many areas, and is almost certainly better than terrestrial TV. With the subscription model becoming commercially viable and profitable, Satellite TV holds great promise for the future.