Broadcast stations use a powerful antenna to transmit radio waves to the surrounding area. Viewers can receive the signal with a smaller antenna. The radio signals used to broadcast television emit signals from the broadcast antenna in a straight line. To receive these signals, the satellite dish has to be in the direct line of sight of the antenna. Obstacles like trees or buildings are not a problem, but a big obstacle, such as the Earth, will reflect radio waves.

There are two primary types of satellite television distribution: Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) and Television Receive-Only (TVRO). Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) also known as "direct to home," is a relatively recent development in the world of television distribution. Direct broadcast satellite can either refer to the communications satellites themselves that deliver DBS service or the actual television service. DBS systems are commonly referred to as "minidish" systems. DBS uses the upper portion of the KU-band. DBS systems rely upon proprietary reception equipment, most often in the form of a television set-top signal descrambling box. This measure assures satellite television providers that only authorized, paying subscribers have access to the content.

The first commercial DBS service, Sky Television, was launched in 1989 and served customers in the United Kingdom. Hughes' Direct TV, the first high-powered DBS system, went online in 1994 and was the first North American DBS service. In 1996, Echostar's Dish Network went online in the United States and has gone on to similar success as Direct TV's primary competitor. Commercial DBS services are the primary competition to cable television service.

Television receive-only, or TVRO, refers to satellite television reception equipment that is based primarily on open standards equipment. This contrasts sharply with direct broadcast satellite, which is a completely closed system that uses proprietary reception equipment. TVRO is often referred to as "big dish" satellite television.

TVRO systems are designed to receive analog satellite signals from both C-band and KU-band satellite television or audio signals. TVRO systems tend to use larger rather than smaller satellite dish antennas, since it is more likely that the owner of a TVRO system would have a C-band-only setup rather than a KU-band-only setup. Additional receiver boxes allow for different types of digital satellite signal reception, such as DVB/MPEG-2 and 4DTV.

The advantage of satellite TV over cable TV is that it offers you even more choices...up to 300 channels! With satellite TV, you can pick which company you want to subscribe with and what package of channels to buy. This is different from cable television, where you are forced to purchase whatever system your region offers and pay whatever price it offers. Direct TV and Dish Network offer you this advantage and more!

Free-To-Air (FTA) is a television or radio broadcast, which is unencrypted. Mostly free-to-air programs are multilingual, no translation as specified earlier. Free to air is a technology that transmits satellite signals, which people may receive without need of registration. Mostly, free-to-air channels are broadcasted from worldwide sources and from small producers. FTA satellite programs are transmitted using large satellite dishes C-band or Ku Band, small satellite dishes and you will need a rotor, however, to receive more than one satellite channel. Free-To-Air Satellite Source offers satellite technology for free-to-air TV, and FTA receivers.

The equipment required for this is a receiver and dish that is dedicated only to picking up the free to air signals. If there are other paid programming channels desired a separate dish and receiver is utilized to pick up paid programming such as Dish Network or Direct TV. A computer can also be customized with a PCI card to pick up the FTA signals turning it into the receiver. This PCI card available requires the computer to be a Pentium 500 and have Windows 98SE or higher installed. The reason you can’t use Direct TV or Dish Network dishes and receivers to pick up FTA channels at the same time on the same system is, Free To Air channels are weaker and require a minimum of a 30” dish and they use a different LNB or LNBF device in the dish itself. Paid channel dishes are normally 18 inches to 20 inches.