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DirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service based in El Segundo, California, that transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in North America , South America and the rest of the world. DirecTV is owned by DirecTV Group, which is controlled by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group.

General information

DirecTV typically uses a fixed 18-inch diameter dish antenna to receive its signals. Slightly larger, 18×24-inch elliptical antennas (which receive signals from three geostationary satellite positions simultaneously) are becoming more common as DirecTV (as well as other DBS services) attempt to squeeze more programming onto their growing systems — particularly local television network affiliate stations, as well as HDTV programming. DTV is now installing a dish that has five LNBs (receives signals from five satellites) for HDTV programming in select markets.

DirecTV offers local channels to more than 94% of the nation's TV households (now including Hawaii & Alaska), with more markets coming soon. Plus, DirecTV offers locals in HD in select markets.

Local channels are transmitted over optical fiber networks to the Castle Rock Broadcast Center, in Castle Rock, Colorado, where they are uplinked.

As of November 30, 2005 DirecTV has over 15 million customers in the U.S. and 1.57 million in Latin America. 2005 revenues are $3.15 billion.

The Economist has suggested that News Corporation would eventually like to merge DirecTV with Sky, its British satellite operation, and possibly its Asian Star and Australian Foxtel networks to form a global satellite TV company.

In late July, 2006, DirecTV added several channels to their online guide that are apparently not available to viewers -- these include UK-based Sky Sports One, Sky One and Sky News. The three are channels that are generally available to satellite television viewers in the United Kingdom, though Sky News has been made available in other countries internationally.

History

Market adoption

As of June 2006, DirecTV has 15.4 million subscribers,^[1] more than any other in the satellite industry, having subscribed their 15 millionth customer in November 2005.^[2]

Management

Access card history

DirecTV transmits programming with encryption to mitigate signal piracy. The receiver (also known as an IRD, or "integrated receiver-decoder") utilizes ISO 7816 smart cards which tell the receiver how to decrypt the programming for viewing. In a continuing effort to combat piracy, an access card generation is created approximately every two years, outdating the old set. DirecTV is now utilizing a fifth generation of access cards.

DirecTV has long been a victim of an active signal piracy underground, but has recently begun to crack down on illegal reception of its signals. On its anti-piracy website, DirecTV claims to have sued over 24,000 end users as of March 17, 2004, including celebrity O.J. Simpson. DirecTV bases its suits on purchase records of ISO-7816 Smart Card devices. Although these devices could be used to rewrite DirecTV's access cards, there are countless legitimate uses for them as well. This has caused controversy, since DirecTV is making the assumption that all purchasers of the devices are pirates.

High-definition television (HDTV)

Like its competitors, DirecTV also offers high-definition television (HDTV) and interactive services. Its self-branded digital video recorders (DVRs) originally were based upon technology licensed from TiVo in an agreement that has been largely supplanted by a new partnership with News Corporation-owned NDS.

To handle the proliferation of bandwidth-intensive HDTV broadcasting, DirecTV is now broadcasting local HD content using the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec while employing a newer transmission protocol (DVB-S2) over their new SPACEWAY-1 satellite and SPACEWAY-2 satellite. This allows DirecTV to squeeze much more HD programming over its satellite signal than was previously feasible using the older MPEG-2 compression and DSS protocol it has been using.

It is speculated (and many say testable) that both DirecTV and their competitor Dish Network have also reduced the quality of their Standard Definition Broadcasts in order to clear more bandwidth for HDTV on the older MPEG-2 systems due to current capacity constraints. This is not the case with the new MPEG-4 systems.

DirectTV is being sued by some subscribers for allegedly lowering their HDTV picture resolution. DirectTV counters the lower resolution is still high definition. ^[3]

Subscribers must acquire a new set-top box (the H20 receiver or HR20 DVR) and a 5-LNB dish (referred to as a "Ka/Ku" dish) in order to receive the new programming encoded with MPEG-4. DirecTV has contracted with Korea's LG Electronics and France's Thomson to manufacture these new boxes. LG Electronics manufactured DirecTV H20 boxes are Model # H20-600. Thomson manufactured DirecTV H20 boxes are Model # H20-100.

DirecTV uses the less advanced H10 receiver only when the customer cannot receive local stations. ^[4]

DirecTV also broadcasts FSN in HD in various markets, on different channels in the 90s range, for certain games.

DirecTV also broadcasts some of the NFL Sunday Ticket in HD for an additional fee. This service is only available to customers that purchase the NFL Sunday Ticket Super Fan for an additional $99.

Local stations (CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX) broadcasts transcoded in MPEG-4 are currently being rolled out in major markets. Where not available through satellite, local HD channels can be received over the air using an antenna for free of charge with an over the air HD tuner.

Satellite fleet

Local channels

DirecTV also offers local channels (CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, PBS, The CW, My Network TV, and some independent stations) for many markets. In the largest markets, the locals are carried on the main satellite. In smaller markets, the locals are carried via another satellite where HD and most Spanish language programming is located, requiring a slightly larger oval dish, capable of receiving from both satellites simultaneously. Generally, this dish will include three LNBs so it can see three satellites. In a few smaller markets, local stations are located on yet another satellite (at 72.5°W), requiring a second dish pointed in a different direction. In markets that lack a CW affiliate, DirecTV includes WSFL from Miami or KSWB-TV from San Diego. Subscribers located where they cannot receive a decent terrestrial television signal can receive feeds from New York and Los Angeles for CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox, though a waiver from the local stations may be required to allow this, approved at their discretion. A national PBS channel is also available. In late 2005 DirecTV began the rollout of HD locals in the largest cities, requiring new set-top boxes and an even larger dish capable of seeing five satellites at once (at 99°W, 101°W, 103°W, 110°W and 119°W).

References

See also

External links

News Corporation

Annual Revenue: $23.9 billion USD (17% FY 2005) | Employees: 44,000 | Stock Symbol: NYSE: NWS ASX: NWS | Website: www.newscorp.com

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