Satellite Glossary
Don't know your DVR from MHz? You've come to the right place. Satelliteusa.com explains the difference between bits and bytes and all the satellite terminology you need to understand how satellite TV is better than cable.
Satellite Terminology Related to Satellite TV
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Amplifier to Gigahertz
Amplifier - A device used to boost the strength of an electronic signal.
Amplitude Modulation (AM) - A form of modulation in which the amplitude of a carrier wave is varied in direct proportion to that of a modulating signal and the frequency remains constant. See also Frequency Modulation.
Analog - A form of transmitting information using continuously variable quantities. An analog signal is responsive to changes in light, sound, heat and pressure. See also Digital.
Antenna - A device for transmitting and receiving radio waves that comes in many shapes depending on operating frequency and use.
Artifact - The effects seen on a TV screen caused by errors in a digital signal. See also Cliff Effect.
Attenuation - The loss in power of electromagnetic signals between transmission and reception points.
Backbone - The primary path of connectivity in a distribution system.
Bandwidth - A measure of spectrum or a range of frequencies. For digital signals, bandwidth is also used to mean the amount of data that can be transferred through a digital connection in a given time period (in other words, the connection's bit rate, measured in bits or bytes per second).
Baud - A unit measuring the rate of information flow, with five baud roughly equivalent to one alphanumeric character. Today most digital signals are measured as bits per second.
Bird - Slang for a communications satellite located in geosynchronous orbit.
Bit - Short for binary digit, the most basic unit of information.
Bit Error Rate - The fraction of a sequence of message bits that are in error.
Bit Rate - The speed of a digital transmission, measured in bits per second.
Blanking Interval - The portion of a TV signal between when each frame is sent. Not viewable by the human eye.
Broadcast - The distribution of audio and video signals to a large group.
Byte - A sequence of eight adjacent binary digits usually treated as a unit. 1 byte = 8 bits; 1 Kbyte = 1,024 bytes; 1Mbyte = 1,024 Kbytes; 1Gbyte = 1,024 Mbytes.
C Band - The band between 4 and 8 GHz. The 6 GHz and 4 GHz bands are used for satellite communications.
Carrier to Noise Ratio (C/N) - The ratio of the received carrier power and the noise power in a given bandwidth, expressed in dB. The higher the C/N, the better the received picture.
Carrier – Either the organization that provides communications and networking services or the alternating current that establishes boundaries in which a signal is transmitted.
Channel - A frequency band in which a specific broadcast signal is transmitted.
Clarke Orbit - The circular orbit in space where geosynchronous satellites are placed. It is 22,237 miles from the surface of the earth, directly "above" the equator. See also Geosynchronous.
Cliff effect - The sudden breakdown or loss of digital signal reception when it contains more errors than the error correction system can cope with. Up to this point there is no degradation in reception quality; a significant advantage over analog where there is a gradual deterioration.
Codec - Coder/decoder system for digital transmission. A device or program capable of transforming a stream or signal.
Co-location (or colocation) - When multiple satellites share orbital space but use different frequency bands or channel.
Common Carrier - A common carrier is an organization that transports a product or service using its facilities, or those of other carriers.
Compression - A technique to reduce the amount of data to be transmitted that reduces the amount of bandwidth needed to transmit video or audio, thus increasing the capacity of a satellite transponder.
Cross Modulation - A form of signal distortion in which modulation from one or more RF carrier(s) is imposed on another carrier.
DBS - See Direct Broadcast Satellite.
Decoder - A television set-top device which decodes an electronically scrambled television picture into a viewable signal from the satellite system. Also known as a Descrambler.
Delay - The time it takes for a signal to go from the sending station through the satellite to the receiving station.
Demodulator - A satellite receiver circuit that extracts or demodulates the signals from the carrier.
Descrambler: See Decoder.
Digital Broadcast - Conversion of information into bits of data for transmission through wire, fiber optic cable, satellite, or over air techniques using discrete bits of information in a certain order. Digital signals allow for simultaneous transmission of voice, data or video. See also Analog.
Direct broadcast satellite - Service that uses satellites to broadcast multiple channels of television programming directly to home mounted small-dish antennas. Abbreviated DBS.
Direct To Home (DTH) - Reception of satellite programs with a satellite dish in an individual home.
DirecTivo - TiVO brand DVR adapted for use with DirecTV service.
Downlink - The satellite-to-earth path of a 2-way satellite link. Often used to describe the receiving dish end of the link. See also Uplink.
DTV - Abbreviation for Digital Television
Echo Effect - A time-delayed electronic reflection of a signal. This is largely eliminated by modern digital echo cancellers.
Elevation - The angle of the satellite antenna relative to the horizon. A satellite elevation angle is zero if pointed at the horizon and 90 degrees when pointing straight up.
Encoder - A device used to electronically alter a signal so that it can only be viewed on a receiver equipped with a special decoder. See also Decoder.
F/D - Ratio of antenna focal length to antenna diameter. A higher ratio means a shallower satellite dish.
Focal Length - Distance from the center feed to the center of the satellite dish.
Focal Point - The area on the dish to which the primary reflector concentrates the received satellite signal.
Frequency - The number of times in one second that an alternating current goes through its complete cycle. One cycle per second is also referred to as one hertz.
Frequency Modulation (FM) - A form of modulation which represents information as variations in the instantaneous frequency of a carrier wave. Satellite carriers operating in the analog mode are usually frequency modulated. See also Amplitude Modulation.
Geostationary satellite - A geosynchronous satellite angle with zero inclination, which makes the satellite appear to hover over one spot on the earth's equator.
Geosynchronous Orbit - The orbit located 22,237 miles above the surface of the earth where satellites are stationed.
Gigahertz (GHz) - One billion cycles per second
See Hertz to Microwave Interference
