Satellite TV Today
Satellite Television, as advertised, today can be said in one word, free! Both major players (DIRECTV and DISH NETWORK) advertise the "satellite television" marketplace as a no cost, all encompassing, subscription platform; where you receive a satellite dish and installation for free after signing up for a $19.99 or higher monthly commitment, for a year or more. Your choices of programming and packages are many, but are there other choices? YES!
Satellite TV Yesterday
Before DIRECTV and DISH NETWORK, satellite television was a larger dish, normally 5 feet in diameter or larger (and "ugly"). It allowed a person to choose to pay for a subscription using a "descrambler" normally included with a satellite system purchase, and a receiver was made by many different manufacturers, giving the consumer "brand" choices. They were made by electronics manufacturers like Macom (now Genreral Instruments, which has been bought by Motorola), Toshiba, Uniden, and Housto Trcker (now Echosphere Corp. which owns Dish Network) to name just a few. This morphed to digital receiver/decoders made by General Instruments Branded under the name "4DTV" for reception of Digicipher II MPEG-II encoded channels that can be subscribed to, this receiver set the stage for digital satellite reception. It is the technology used by DIRECTV and DISH NETWORK to provide many channels via rebroadcasting to little dishes across North and South America, as well as Cable companies providing television in the US and Canada.
Today
Consumers that own a big siah today can buy one channel or a package of many channels, as well as watch FREE TV choices. Though the number of programmers (pay tv providers) has dwindled to only a few, there are more channels than ever before. A great list to study about the many satellites and channels available here in America, and throughout the world, is located @ http://www.lyngsat.com/ the North American satellite list link here.
Today
Todays Big Dish (and little too, used from apartment balcanies) satellite television, mostly in an unadvertised marketplace, has equipment and programming sources from all over the world. Using the smae technology as DISH NETWORK or DIRECTV (the satellite "antenna"), a digital MPEG-II receiver will allow 100's of channels to be watched for free (IT IS LEGAL TOO). Called Free-to-air satellite reception, or FTA for short, a person buys a satellite system they can use without contracts or a monthly subscription, The dish can be as small as 24 inches in diameter (KU Band); or as large as 13 feet or larger (C/Ku-band). These dishes use a DVB MPEG-II receiver to receive many different channels broadcast throughout North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico). They receive many different language channels, as well as English language programs and channels. They also have HD programming and channels also (requires a HD TV and HD Satellite receiver).
If it were up to the two big players in the satellite marketplace today, they would illegalize use of any other technology to receive programs in the US. Their money is now, and has tried in the past, to claim your FREE TV rights from you, using pay-offs and sponsors to pass Acts of Congress that would deny you rights to reception of free "advertiser only" supported television. Thiese blatant actions only must pass a certain muster, the amount they can buy public opinion with large budgets and dirty politics.
One way to fight back against these tactics is via this web site, http://www.mytvrights.com/ and sign their petition. Call your Congressmen and Congresswomen, for they hold the powers to be your voice heard.