Satellite Broadcasting and Satellite Communication.

New technologies are deeply transforming the broadcastingindustry. What we have seen so far is only the beginning of a long story.Inevitably, industry regulations must adapt, which means that a wide-rangingrethink of current practices is required. In order to assess the likelyevolution of the industry, this article decomposes it into a number ofcomponents, from conception of programmes to their broadcasting, includingdistribution, storage and licensing. Contrary to popular expectations, theanalysis suggests that the current high degree of concentration will, ifanything, increase. The policy implication is that regulation, so far driven bynow obsolete technological constraints, should increasingly emphasize promotingcompetition.

Broadcasting by satellite has enable the subscriber to cablesystem, Broadcasting has been a very concentrated and closely regulatedindustry the limited number of broadcasters was traditionally explained by the‘spectrum constraint’, Satellite can be constrained by the amount of power theycan radiate towards the receiving station, which has necessitated the provisionof very large earth station antennas at a limited number of sites around theglobe. From these ‘gateway’ stations the telecommunication signals are rootedinto the terrestrial network. Now, attention has turned to the broadband andinteractive potential of satellite services, as well as the convergence withother technologies such as mobile communications, global positioning and theInternet.

Satellites are used for a large number of purposes. Commontypes include military (spy) and civilian Earth observation satellites,communication satellites, navigation satellites, weather satellites, andresearch satellites. Space stations and human spacecraft in orbit are alsosatellites. Satellite orbits vary greatly, depending on the purpose of the satellite,and are classified in a number of ways. Well-known (overlapping) classesinclude low Earth orbit, polar orbit, and geostationary orbit..Satellites areusually semi-independent computer controlled systems. Satellite subsystemsattend many tasks, such as power generation, thermal control, telemetry, attitudecontrol and orbit control.

Communication through satellites is usually done in the waydescribed bellow:.

Television programs origin from a broadcasting studio, itcould be a live broadcast or a taped TV program. The program is translated intoa signal. The signal is sent up to the satellite with a process called –uplink. When it is received at the satellite, the signal is transmitted toanother satellite using a process called turnaround, or it is transmitted backdown to earth using a process called downlink. When a signal is down linkedback to earth it is received by a satellite dish which we all know.
Because of the whole process of up linking and down linking, there is atransmission delay of a few seconds. This is why viewers of a cable channelwill see it a few seconds before the viewers of a satellite channel.