In the world of television distribution, Direct to Home service is a recent development. Those who don't know about Direct to Home service, this term is used to refer to satellite digital television broadcasts intended for home reception. Also known as Direct broadcast satellite (DBS), this technology is often used in reference to services carried by lower power satellites which required larger dishes (1.7m diameter or greater) for reception.
Nowadays, most of the satellite TV customers get their programming through a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) provider, such as DirecTV, Videocon DTH, or DTH platform. The DTH services provider selects programs and broadcasts them to subscribers as a set package. Unlike earlier programming, in dth technology digital signals are transmitted that ensures a high picture and stereo sound quality.
Five major components involved in a direct to home (DTH) satellite TV system are:
1. Programming source: The Programming source includes the channels that provide programming for broadcast. In this way, the provider doesn’t create an original programming itself, but pays other companies (for example, HBO, ESPN or STAR TV etc.) for the right to broadcast their content via satellite.
2. Broadcast center: The broadcast center is the central hub of the system. At a broadcast center, the DTH service provider receives signals from various programming sources, compresses these signals using digital compression and beams a broadcast signal to the proper satellite.
3. Satellite: The satellite receives signals from the broadcast station and rebroadcast them to the ground.
4. Satellite dish: Satellite dish at the viewer's end picks up signals from the satellite and passes it on to the receiver in viewer's home.
5. The receiver: The receiver processes the signals and passes it on to a standard television.
DTH acts as a strong alternative to cable TV. Here are some advantages of DTH over cable TV:
1. DTH makes satellite broadcast available in rural and semi-urban areas where it is difficult to install cable.
2. Due to digital compression techniques used by DTH service providers, various niche channels are available that cannot be provided by cable operators.
3. DTH ensure more reliable services than a cable transmission.
4. DTH offers digital quality signals which do not degrade the picture or sound quality.
With so many advantages, DTH service is definitely a better option than cable TV.
