FTA Satellite Receiver
The FTA satellite receiver has become very popular when it comes to home entertainment. FTA, which stands for free-to-air, gained popularity as more and more people discoveerd satellite channels that are free and don’t require a subscription to view. These channels transmit unencrypted broadcasts that are picked up by an FTA Satellite Receiver, which then decodes them and transfers them to a digital output that can be watched on a viewer’s television.
The FTA satellite receiver is very similar to DVD players or the boxes provided by cable companies and subscription-based satellite TV providers. They are hooked up to a satellite dish and a television. There are also PC-based FTA satellite receivers that allow you to watch FTA transmissions on your computer.
To view FTA broadcasts you will need a satellite dish (C-Band or Ku-Band) as well as the FTA satellite receiver. In addition, you should have an LNB – Low Noise Block which is used for satellite broadcast reception. The LNB is typically on or in the satellite dish. And finally, if you want to receive channels from more than one satellite, you will need an antenna motor.
What to look for in an FTA Satellite Receiver
Before you purchase your FTA Satellite Receiver, here are some important features you’ll want to look for:
- The receiver has a built-in Personal Video Recorder
- The receiver has an Electronic Program Guide
- The receiver has S-Video output
- The receiver has On Screen Display
- The receiver has Dolby SPDIF output
- The receiver has the ability to zoom in on a picture
- The receiver supports picture-in-picture
- The receiver has dual tuners allowing viewing and recording of two different channels.
- The receiver has a PIG/PIP interface
- The receiver has Dolby SPDIF output
- The receiver has On Screen Display
- The On Screen Display allows you to rename, move and delete channels
- The receiver has Blind Search Power Scan
In order to view free-to-air broadcasts, it will be necessary for you to input a set of keys into your FTA satellite receiver so that the receiver can properly descramble the signals. What these keys do is remove the restrictions that typically prevent non-subscribers from receiving the free-to-air signals that are sent out by various satellites. You input the keys into your FTA satellite receiver and once the signals are unlocked by the keys, you are then able to access multiple satellite signals.
The keys change on a regular basis and because they need to be entered manually each time they change, people will often program files on their receivers called autoroll bins. The autoroll file will automatically roll the keys over to the new keys whenever the keys change. This type of programming in referred to as an FTA fix. These FTA fixes basically fix your receiver so that you continue to get your channels with very little effort. You will need to do the initial programming of the FTA files to your receiver and update it a few times a year.
The FTA satellite receiver will not decrypt subscription-based transmissions – such as those provided by DirectTV and Dish Network however, you will have access to variety of unique free-to-air programming like free movies, travel shows, sporting events, and programs for children.
