The Main purpose here is to compare
dish tv system providers so that you can make an informed decision
when you choose between Dish Network and Directv® offers.
If you have not yet decided whether or not satellite
tv is your cup of tea then read the rest of the information on this
page as we give you a little background and insight. You may also want
to see our page where we compare satellite
tv vs. cable television.
Whether you'll be more happy by choosing Directv®
or the Dish Network offers will mostly depend on the the type of television
programming that you normally watch. Both of these dish system providers
have just as much programming as you can get with cable. If there happens
to be a particular show that you are fond of, just try to make sure
that it is included in the programming choices of the satellite provider
that you choose.

In other words, if Directv® has a show that
you like and Dish Network doesn't carry that channel, that would probably
be enough of a reason to choose what Directv® offers with their
service. Of course, it works the other way as well. The number of channels
that are offered for a programming service should influence you less
than the actual channels available because you probably won't be interested
in many of the channels that are listed. In general, Directv® offers
more sports related programming and Dish Network has a greater amount
of international and specialty satellite tv programming.

Directv® and Dish Network both use the very
latest technology for their services and the equipment that they use
for their system is top notch. The cost of the equipment that they both
offer is basically the same. You can get either dish tv system for free
when you sign up for a programming package through one of the offers
that we compare on our comparison page. Sometimes there is a rebate
involved. Free installation and free shipping are usually part of these
offers as well.
One of the big concerns that many people have about
getting a dish tv system is the issue of local channels. There once
was a time when cable television had a big advantage in this area. Then
congress passed legislation in 1999 that gave satellite dish system
providers like Directv®
and Dish Network a new advantage by allowing them the ability to
give offers for local channels to their customers for the first time.
The name of this legislation is the "Satellite Home Viewer Improvement
Act of 1999". This legislation should cause quite a battle for
customers between satellite dish system companies and cable tv providers.
History
The first ever tv signal from a satellite was relayed
from Europe in 1962 to the Telstar satellite which was located over
North America. The very first satellite for commercial communications
was called Early Bird. On April 6, 1965 this satellite was launched
into a synchronous orbit. The first national network for satellite
television systems was called Orbita and was created in the Soviet
Union in 1967. It's technology was based on the principle of using the
highly-elliptical Molniya satellite for re-broadcasting. This allowed
it to deliver a television signal to the ground at various downlink
stations. The first North American domestic satellite to carry tv signals
was Anik 1, launched by Canada in 1973. ATS-6, the first experimental
educational and DBS "Direct Broadcast Satellite", named ATS-6,
was launched in 1974.
U.S. History
The early 1980s saw the birth of consumer satellite
tv reception in the United States. This huge development bagan by introducing
the first home satellite dish system that was made in order to receive
the same TVRO signals that were being used for distribution by cable
tv companies. The first dish system configurations were quite expensive
and very large by today's standards. They commonly featured a 12-foot
satellite dish. Sometimes the dish was motorized. This made it possible
to get tv reception from more than one satellite.
Because of this, there was a wider choice of channels.
At first, all satellite channels could be had without the need for a
programming package. This included the premium movie services. However,
in 1986, HBO decided to encrypt their satellite tv signal. This action
set a precedent for the rest of the cable television services and influenced
the offers that they were able to make available to the public.
What was to follow was a big slide in satellite
dish system sales. 1995 saw the birth of high powered "mini-dish" systems
like those that are offered by Directv® and the Dish Network. In
2005 there were only around 8% big dish owners that were still subscribing
to the old pay TV programming service in comparison to 1995. By 2005,
satellite
tv deals were offering a free dish to anyone with a clear view of
the southern sky.
Directv®, the first high-powered DBS dish tv
system, went online with their satellite
dish services in 1994. They were the first North American DBS service
providers that made their offers available to the general public. 1996
is the first year that Dish Network went online in the United States.
Since then they have risen to gain a similar success as that of Directv®.
In fact, today Dish Network is the number one rated dish tv system of
the providers in the United States. The current satellite
tv deals include a free dish, free equipment, free installation
and low priced base programming packages.
How Satellite TV Works
In a nutshell, an "uplink" transmitter on earth
uses a "dish" antenna that is pointed at a satellite. The transmitter
sends a signal to one of the satellite's "transponders". The transponder
then magnifies that signal while it shifts it to a different frequency
so that it can be sent back to earth. Then a "downlink" antenna and
receiver (satellite dish system) located on the earth receives that
signal and puts it to use. It should be noted that all of the home
satellite systems that are in use these days receive all digital
programming.
Satellite Dish System Benefits
When you get a satellite tv dish system from one
of the providers that we recommend you will be able to gain access to
just about every type of channel and form of programming you can possibly
imagine. You will have the ability to view many different channels that
are packed with sports programming, news and information and your favorite
movies that will give you all of the comedy and drama that you can handle.
The type of programming that you receive will depend on the satellite
tv offer that you choose.
These days cable customers are paying more and more
on average while receiving only a limited service. At the same time
they are paying out more and more for their monthly rental charges plus
additional fees. With a satellite tv dish system you can get free equipment
installation and you do not have to pay rental fees for it (One exception
would be a nominal fee for extra receivers). One small monthly fee offers
you access to crystal clear digital programming on hundreds of popular
channels from today's top providers. So, go ahead and take advantage
of one of these free
satellite tv deals while they're still available.
Dish-System-TV.com
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