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Satellite TV is television delivered by way of orbiting communications satellites located 37,000 km (22,300 miles) above the earth's surface. The first satellite TV signal was relayed from Europe to the Telstar satellite over North America in 1962. The first domestic North American satellite to carry television was Canada's Anik 1, which was launched in 1973. Satellite TV, like other communications relayed by satellite, starts with a transmitting antenna located at an uplink facility. Uplink satellite dishes are directed toward the satellite that their signals will be transmitted to, and are very large, as much as 9 to 12 meters (30 to 40 feet) in diameter.

Satellite TV: Television has certainly come a long way since the days when you only had access to about 3 local channels. Do you remember when the onset of cable television made you want to kiss the technological giant who had invented it? Cable television used to offer you nothing more than 80 good channels of quality television. Then of course the digital era brought digital cable which now boasts up to 200 channels to choose from, for a fee of course. Now the TV Gods have given us access to satellite TV which can offer us 225 channels of digital quality pictures including: HBO, Cinemax, Starz, and many more. Satellite TV has come a long way and the deals get better and better.

Satellite TV Has Come a Long Way: Satellite TV was first used in 1957 by the Russian Sputnik. Despite it's early entry, satellite TV did not become used for public viewing until 1978, when PBS (Public Broadcasting System) was the first television station to transmit using a satellite signal. During the early 80's 'Direct to Home' receivers were introduced, allowing people in rural areas to receive TV programming that was similar to the cable TV lineup, without having to have an antennae connected to the TV.

EchoStar to buy Voom TV satellite: $200 million deal may mean end for Cablevision venture. EchoStar Communications Corp. said Thursday it will buy a satellite and related assets from Cablevision Systems Corp.'s struggling Voom TV service for $200 million. The move could mean the end of Voom, a heavily hyped high-definition satellite-TV venture that has struggled since its launch more than 14 months ago.

Is Your Home Compatible With Satellite TV? While professional installation of a satellite TV system is quick and easy, your home must still meet a certain number of criteria in order to be eligible to install satellite TV. In order to receive a satellite broadcast, you must mount your dish somewhere with an unobstructed view of the southern sky. Trees, buildings, and other tall objects can block or degrade your signal, so it is critical that your dish have an obstruction-free line of sight to the south.

Both Cable TV and Satellite TV are popular. Although cable still is more popular overall, satellite TV has made huge gains on cable TV. Cable TV systems require a cable to be installed from the network to your house. If your street has no cable you may need to wait a while before it is available in your area. Besides the cable you need a receiver. With digital services you need an additional box. Satellite TV requires a satellite dish, a receiver and a cable from the dish to your TV (no digging in your garden).

Ever since the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 was signed into law, satellite TV providers have been able to offer local stations in many areas across the nation. Previously, many satellite TV viewers could only receive their local channels via antenna or cable. DIRECTV currently offers local channels in over 40 big-city markets.

Theory and practice collide in the great satellite TV merger: There are two satellite TV providers in the United States, and the smaller one, EchoStar, wants to pay $26 billion to buy the larger one, DirecTV. The result could dramatically realign broadband markets. But first, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice must decide if the proposed combination will lessen competition, and the Federal Communications Commission will weigh whether it is in the 'public interest.'