The DISH Network is a direct broadcast satellite service, serving over 13 million satellite television customers across the United States. The network is one of two direct broadcast satellite services. DirecTV is another direct service provider. Broadcasts are sent out in digital format with service options ranging from audio and video channels to pay-per-view, interactive TV, HDTV and DISH on Demand.
The satellites used by DISH are owned and operated by its parent company, Echostar Corporation. Signals are broadcast from these satellites to individuals dishes purchased by subscribers. These dishes range anywhere from 18 to 20 inches in diameter, and can be placed on the roof, or on the side of a house. As long as the dish has a clear view of the sky, signal reception should be clear. Typically, each dish is able to lock onto two satellites at once.
To receive satellite transmissions from the DISH Network, a subscriber would need a decoder device, a dish and a remote control. All transmissions originate from the network's facility where an uplink antenna transmits signals to the satellites. These antennae are also dishes, ranging anywhere from 30 to 40 feet in diameter. Signal transmissions work to direct satellite transmissions to the dishes connected with the network.
The actual content that's displayed on the television screen isn't created by the DISH Network. The network really only acts as a middleman between the subscribers, the network providers and the programming source providers. The network providers are the ones who create the content, whereas the programming source providers own the channels on which the content is transmitted. Direct service providers--like the DISH network--merely "rent" these channels out to their subscribers.
When a DISH network subscriber positions his dish on the roof, in most cases this only has to be done once. Repositioning it would only be necessary if something (like a new building, or tree limbs) obstructed the dish's line of sight with the sky. The position of the dish depends on where the satellite is located. Amazingly, satellites remain in the same position all the time which is why dishes only need to be positioned once. Satellites are positioned according to a geosynchronous orbit, meaning they move along with the equator line as the earth rotates. Most sit some 22,200 miles north of the equator line so where you point your dish will depend on what side of the equator line you live on. Once the signal reaches the dish on your roof, it travels through an output line which runs into the house, through the converter box, and onto your screen.
