| As America prepares for February 2009, when | | | | companies, carried into space on rockets and |
| traditional analog television broadcasts will officially | | | | deposited in geosynchronous orbits-which means that |
| become a thing of the past, more and more | | | | the position of the satellite relative to the Earth is |
| consumers are deciding how they'll watch TV in the | | | | constant, the satellite's orbit matching the rotation of |
| new digital world. | | | | the Earth- from which they transmit their signals to |
| Analog broadcast is the type of transmission that | | | | the small dishes so ubiquitous on houses around the |
| one picks up with rooftop or "rabbit ear" antennas | | | | world. If you have a satellite dish, you'll notice that it |
| and has been the industry standard since the 1950's, | | | | points at a fixed location in the sky. If you were to |
| when television took off as the preferred form of | | | | draw a line along this angle, you would end up roughly |
| family entertainment. Digital signals allow more | | | | where the satellite orbits. |
| channels to broadcast on less bandwidth, freeing up | | | | Because they broadcast in a different format than |
| valuable frequencies and, at the same time, allowing | | | | older forms of television, pictures can be transmitted |
| for a clearer, more stable picture. Those who wish to | | | | with great clarity through all manner of weather and |
| continue using antennas will be able to do so, albeit | | | | the signals are not subject to the sort of blocking |
| with a converter box that is estimated to cost | | | | caused by thick walls, trees and other natural barriers |
| between $40 and $90. | | | | that often diminished the quality of or, sometimes, |
| Broadcasting entails a much larger, and more | | | | altogether eliminated the transmissions of the old |
| advanced, world than it did in the past. Many | | | | analog towers. |
| television viewers today opt for satellite services, | | | | As the demand for satellite television has increased, |
| which offer hundreds of channels of television, music, | | | | providers have launched more and more satellites to |
| sports and movies, many of them available in HD-an | | | | accommodate demand and to expand the availability |
| acronym for High Definition-format which broadcasts | | | | of their products to new markets. |
| at a lifelike resolution. To accomplish this, a variety of | | | | One satellite provider launched a new satellite, Direct |
| satellites are now in orbit, broadcasting news, sports | | | | 11, into orbit in March of 2008. The satellite began |
| and entertainment to millions of houses worldwide, | | | | broadcasting to consumers in early September 2008. |
| even in areas where traditional broadcast methods | | | | The company plans to launch another satellite in early |
| are unable to reach. Because of a satellite's literally | | | | 2009, expanding the variety of their packages and |
| global perspective on the world, their signals reach | | | | their market reach. The Boeing 702 model satellite |
| the most remote places on Earth, connecting the | | | | was launched from the Pacific, near the equator, |
| globe as never before. | | | | from a sea launch platform. |
| Broadcast satellites are launched by private | | | | |