iSnare.com - Free Content Articles Directory
Authors Contents [Advanced Search][Add OpenSearch][Job Search]
Distribute your articles to thousands of article sites for only $2 and below! Read more...

Index  Entertainment
 

Satellite TV - The First Fifty Years

 
[ Contact the Author] [ Send to a Friend] [ Article Publisher] [Make PDF] [ Print] [ Bookmark & Share]
 
Read our Terms of Service before reprinting this article. The submitter specified above has claimed the rights to this article.
Frank Johnson

Dish Network, and other satellite TV providers didn’t just appear over night. The development of satellite television took years and its origins can be traced back to the 1950s and the space race.

The original concept of satellite television is often attributed to writer Arthur C. Clarke, who was the first to suggest a worldwide satellite communications system. Funding for satellite technology in the U.S. began in the 1950s, amidst the space race, and the Russian launching of the satellite Sputnik in 1957.

The first communication satellite was developed by a group of businesses and government entities in 1963. Syncom II orbited at 22,300 miles over the Atlantic; the first satellite communication was on July 26, 1963, between a U.S. Navy ship in Lagos, Nigeria and the U.S. Army naval station in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Overloaded land based distribution methods had the telephone companies utilizing satellite communication way before the television industry even came into the picture. In fact, it was not until 1978 that satellite communication was officially used by the television industry.

In 1975, RWT's co-founder and BBC transmitter engineer Stephen Birkill built an experimental system for receiving Satellite Instructional Television Experiment TV (SITE) transmissions, beamed to Indian villages, from a NASA geostationary satellite.

Birkill extended his system, receiving TV pictures from Intelsat, Raduga, Molniya and others. In 1978, Birkill met up with Bob Cooper, a cable TV technical journalist and amateur radio enthusiast in the U.S., who invited him to a cable TV operators' conference and trade show, the CCOS-78. It was there that Birkill met with other satellite TV enthusiasts, who were interested, and ready to help develop, Birkill’s experiments.

Interest in Television Receive Only (TVRO) satellite technology burst forward. The American TVRO boom caught the attention of premium cable programmers, who began to realize the potential of satellite TV. Back in the mid-1970s, TV reception was the under the control of international operators, Intelsat and Intersputnik.

On March 1, 1978, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) introduced Public Television Satellite Service. Satellite communication technology caught on, and was used as a distribution method with the broadcasters from 1978 through 1984, with early signals broadcast from HBO, TBS, and CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network, later The Family Channel). TVRO system prices dropped, and the trade organization, Society for Private Commercial Earth Stations (SPACE), and the first dealerships were established.

Broadcasters realized that everyone had the potential to receive satellite signals for free, and they were not happy. But the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was governed by its open skies' policy, believing that users had as much right to receive satellite signals as broadcasters had the right to transmit them.

In 1980, the FCC established the Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS), a new service that consisted of a broadcast satellite in geostationary orbit, facilities for transmitting signals to the satellite, and the equipment needed for people to access the signals. In turn, broadcasters developed methods of scrambling their signals, forcing consumers to purchase a decoder, or a direct to home (DTH) satellite receiver, from a satellite program provider.

From 1981 to 1985, the big dish satellite market soared. Rural areas gained the capacity to receive television programming that was not capable of being received by standard methods.

The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association of America (SBCA) was founded in 1986 as a merger between SPACE and the Direct Broadcast Satellite Association. But by this point, American communication companies had soured on the prospect of satellite TV. Broadcast cable was very successful at this time, and the satellite industry received a lot of negative press coverage. Fifty percent of all satellite retailers closed their businesses.

Business eventually recovered, but the illegal theft of pay television signals was still a problem. Ultimately, encryption has proven to be the ultimate salvation of the satellite industry as it has made the transition from a hardware to software entertainment-driven business.

Early successful attempts to launch satellites for the mass consumer market were led by Japan and Hong Kong in 1986 and 1990, respectively. In 1994, the first successful attempts in America were led by a group of major cable companies, known collectively as Primestar.

Later that year, Direct TV was established, and in 1996, the DISH Network, a subsidiary of Echostar, also entered the satellite TV industry. DISH Network’s low prices forced competing DBS providers to also lower their prices. And an explosion in the popularity of digital satellite TV ensued.

Important NoticeDISCLAIMER: All information, content, and data in this article are sole opinions and/or findings of the individual user or organization that registered and submitted this article at Isnare.com without any fee. The article is strictly for educational or entertainment purposes only and should not be used in any way, implemented or applied without consultation from a professional. We at Isnare.com do not, in anyway, contribute or include our own findings, facts and opinions in any articles presented in this site. Publishing this article does not constitute Isnare.com's support or sponsorship for this article. Isnare.com is an article publishing service. Please read our Terms of Service for more information.

I am first and foremost an observer of life. I enjoy analyzing and exploring all aspects of life on planet Earth, and expressing my personal perspective on the nitty gritty of it all. As a result of my observations, I have become a freelance writer.http://www.dish-network-satellite-tv.ws/

Article Tags: satellite [See Dictionary], television [See Dictionary], tv [See Dictionary]
Got a question about this article? Ask the community!
Article published on February 18, 2006 at Isnare.com
 
Rate this article:

Choosing A Satellite TV Provider
Submitted by: Frank Johnson

The Satellite TV industry has made huge gains on the cable tv industry in the past several years With the price of cable tv skyrocketing every year, many cable subscribers are making the switch over to satellite tv...

Dish Network Smart Card
Submitted by: Frank Johnson

In researching Dish Network as a satellite TV provider, you may have asked yourself… Just what is the Dish Network Smart Card...

The Science Behind Satellites
Submitted by: Frank Johnson

The Science Behind Your Satellite Dish Ever wonder how your Dish Network system or satellite TV system works...

The Future Of Dish Network And Satellite TV
Submitted by: Frank Johnson

If you have Dish Network or thinking about getting it or another satellite TV service, it’s good to know what the future holds for satellite TV...

Dish Network Satellites In The Sky
Submitted by: Frank Johnson

Thinking about getting Dish Network and want some background information on its infrastructure Then here you go...

Satellite TV Reception
Submitted by: Frank Johnson

You are sitting at home, watching TV, and while your show is entertaining you, outside the weather is getting worse...

Dish Network vs. Cable
Submitted by: Frank Johnson

There's a battle going on between Cable TV and Dish Network Many people wonder what the best choice really is...

How To Watch The Nascars Awards Online
Submitted by: Julien Robins

If you are worried that you might miss the Nascar Awards Friday Dec 4th in Las Vegas, worry no more...

The Beatles Rock Band is a Good Way to Improve Singing & Drumming Abilities
Submitted by: Joshua J Jacks

I've been trying to improve my singing in various ways over the last couple of years and surprisingly I've found that one of the most effective ways to practice (and improve) is by playing The Beatles Rock Band...

Simple Halloween Costumes to Make at Home
Submitted by: Mitch Gleason

Halloween is just around the corner and it is almost time to start thinking about Halloween costumes for kids and adults alike...

Best Ways to Get Out From in Front of the TV
Submitted by: Mitch Gleason

It is said that approximately 250 billion hours of TV are watched by Americans each year and that and that approximately 99% of American households posses at least one television in the home according to the A...

Learn to Sing Like a Professional Singer
Submitted by: Sarah J. Walthers

If you’re the type of person who loves singing and it is your passion, i’m sure you have imagined yourself singing in front of many people without mistakes and the crowd is happy with your performance with a standing ovation...

Learn to Sing on Pitch
Submitted by: Sarah J. Walthers

Some people believe that learning to sing on pitch is difficult, this is not true Learning to sing on pitch is easy if you just take time to practice...

Learn How to Sing Effortlessly
Submitted by: Sarah J. Walthers

If you’re an aspiring singer and hope to become great someday, i’m sure you get envious with people who can sing very well and make it look easy every time they sing...

Learn How to Sing With Power While Hitting the Notes
Submitted by: Sarah J. Walthers

There are a lot people out there who think that they can sing, but actually cannot They think that they can sing well and hit the notes not really cannot...

Tips on How to Learn to Sing on Key
Submitted by: Mrbond74 Peterson

Most singers are concerned about singing on key This is important because if the second voice is not hitting the right key, it is very obvious and listeners can easily notice it...

Learn How To Sing Online
Submitted by: Sarah J. Walthers

With the advanced technology, the invention of computers and computer software, people are curious if it is really possible to learn to sing online and get eventually better in their chose craft...

Lisa Lampanelli – the Queen of Raunch Comedy
Submitted by: Robert E. Finch

In a world full of men, Lisa Lampanelli has made a name for being outspoken and a comedian with no restriction...

The Beatles USB: The Beatles Stereo Remasters in MP3 & FLAC
Submitted by: James Randall Twist

The Beatles USB is the "digital debut" for The Beatles legendary music It is the very first release of their classic songs in the mp3 format which has become the main way many people listen to music now...

Ideas and Tips For a Great Ben 10 Birthday Party
Submitted by: Thor Hanso

Ben 10 is a cartoon action adventure television show on the cartoon network Ben 10 has become hugely popular among kids and has is now onto it's third season named Ben 10: Evolution...

Ways to Learn to Sing Better
Submitted by: Sarah J. Walthers

Everybody can sing but not all have nice voice Finding ways on how to learn to sing better is a common path that is done by people who loves to sing because no matter what level in singing you are there is always more we can discover in the world of art to improve our vocal abilities...

Learn How to Sing Blues Songs
Submitted by: Sarah J. Walthers

There are a lot of music genre, one of them is the blues songs Blues is a genre of music which was developed in earlier nineteenth century, but in recent years it came down to be associated with bad things like drugs and alcohol...

Isnare.com Footer Divider

© 2004-2009. Isnare Free Articles - An Isnare Online Technologies Free Articles Project. All Rights Reserved.   Privacy Policy