First Generation Digital TV From the Dish Network and Directv

To get digital TV, you have a choice between the local cable provider and one of the nationwide satellite providers. You may be getting cable now, but did you know if it is analog-only, true digital, or a hybrid of analog and digital? Not many of us are techies and would know the difference. But with a digital TV service from a satellite provider, you’ll be assured of getting a crisp, consistent and suburb picture every time.

You should know that satellite signals are of the highest quality digital because they are “first generation” which means they are transmitted directly from the broadcaster to you. Digital cable cannot be considered truly digital TV, because it is generally a fourth or fifth generation signal relayed from sub-station to sub-station before reaching your residence. The relay of digital cable diminishes the overall quality of your picture and sound, while a satellite signal for digital satellite television service remains first rate.

Satellite television solves the problems of range and distortion by transmitting broadcast digital TV signals from satellites orbiting the Earth. Since satellites are high in the sky, there are a lot more customers in the line of sight. The two satellite providers in the US, Dishnetwork and Directv, which both transmit and receive radio signals using specialized antennas called satellite dishes.

These satellites are in geosynchronous orbit, meaning that they stay in one place in the sky relative to the Earth. Each satellite is launched into space at about 7,000 mph, at an altitude of approximately 22,200 miles above the Earth. The satellite keeps pace with our moving planet exactly and stay positioned over the country. You need only to direct the dish at the satellite once, and from then on it picks up a clear digital TV signal without adjustment.

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