Satellite TV has become an increasingly popular alternative to over-the-air antenna or cable television service. When you take a look at what it has to offer, it's easy to see why. Satellite offers over 250 channels of TV shows, movies, and sports, as well as dozens of music channels from XM and Sirius Satellite Radio.

All satellite broadcasts are digital, resulting in consistently clear, noise-free picture and sound on every channel. And many satellite programs are broadcast in stunning high-definition, offering up to five times the resolution of standard-definition. In fact, some satellite TV stations are high-def exclusively. Please keep in mind that just because something's digital doesn't mean it's HD. The term "digital" simply refers to how the signal gets into your home. A digital signal can include both high-definition and standard-definition programs.

You have two satellite TV providers to choose from: DIRECTV and DISH Network. Both services offer a variety of programming packages, from a basic selection of channels, to premium movie channel and sports packages, and a full range of Spanish-language programming. For up-to-date information on the programming packages each service offers, take a look at the DIRECTV and DISH Network websites.

Local channels

Ever since the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 was signed into law, satellite TV providers have been able to offer local stations in many areas across the nation. (Previously, many satellite TV viewers could only receive their local channels via antenna or cable.) Currently, Dish Network offers local channels in over 175 cities, and DIRECTV offers them to over 90% of U.S. households. To find out if you can get local channels from DIRECTV, visit this page and punch in your zip code. For Dish Network's local channel availability, take a look at their website.

Is your home satellite TV-ready?

To receive the satellite signal, your site must have a clear view of the southern sky, free of signal-blocking obstacles like trees, buildings, and hills. Once your system is installed, you can activate programming by calling your service provider.

Keep in mind that DIRECTV and Dish Network are not currently available in Puerto Rico, Canada, or Mexico, and that you may need a special dish to receive programming in Hawaii or Alaska.

Also note that bad weather can sometimes interfere with the satellite signal, causing interruptions in service. The good news is that this is fairly rare, and usually only happens during periods of heavy rain, heavy snow, or other extreme conditions.

What you need

Remember, in order to receive any kind of satellite programming, you'll need a subscription, a dish, and a receiver (also called an IRD or a tuner). There are a few different types of receivers, and which one(s) you'll need depends on two things:

• Do you want to watch shows in high-definition?
  • Remember to choose a receiver capable of pulling in HD programming. You'll also need an HD-capable dish and a subscription to high-def programming.
• Do you do a lot of recording?
  • Consider a receiver with a built-in DVR. Today's DVRs are capable of recording hundreds of hours of your favorite programs. And don't forget the added benefits of a DVR, such as the ability to pause and rewind live TV.

Some receivers offer both HD and DVR capabilities (HD DVR recording capacity is typically around 50 hours for high-def shows; 200 hours or more for standard-definition).

Usually, you need one receiver for each room. So if you have a TV in the family room, bedroom, and kitchen, you would need three receivers. However, some receivers have two tuners, letting you feed a satellite signal to two televisions using a single receiver. For added convenience, these receivers also include two remotes (one remote operates via radio frequencies, letting you control the receiver from the second room).

You might also need additional accessories. Common ones include RG-6 cable, the type of cable that's best-equipped to carry satellite TV signals. Also, if your dish doesn't have enough outputs to accommodate all your receivers, you might need a multiswitch to enjoy multi-room viewing. Multiswitches enable you to split the satellite signal among a number of receivers without compromising signal quality.

Also, if you plan on buying or leasing a DVR or HD DVR satellite receiver and would like to be able to record two shows at once, or watch one show while recording another, you'll need to run two separate satellite feeds to the unit — that's two RG-6 cables running from your satellite dish to your DVR. Depending on the number of outputs on your satellite dish and the number of receivers you want to hook up, you might need to use a multiswitch.

Installation

Most people prefer to have trained professionals perform their installation to ensure that the dish is properly mounted and aimed directly at the satellite. However, if you are interested in finding out more about what the installation involves before you decide, see DIRECTV's installation page or DISH Network's installation page.

If you choose to install a satellite system yourself, you will need to accurately aim your dish so it can receive the satellite signal. Aiming the dish will require you to know the correct left-to-right positioning and up-and-down positioning (known respectively as "azimuth" and "elevation") for your location. To find your azimuth and elevation, visit this page and enter your zip code.

Getting connected

When hooking up your satellite receiver, you'll want to use the highest quality video connection your receiver and TV have in common in order to get the best picture. If you're not interested in high-definition, any of the familiar analog connections will do, but component video is the best. See our article on audio and video cables for more information on component video and other analog connections.

If you would like to watch shows in high-def, HDMI is the best connection to use. This all-digital interface yields the best picture and also carries audio, letting you make a simple, one-cable connection between your receiver and TV. Plus, HDMI is backwards-compatible with the older digital video connection, DVI. For more information, read our article on the ins and outs of HDMI.

What if your HDTV doesn't have digital inputs? Don't worry — component video is also capable of carrying a high-def signal, so you're not necessarily losing anything if your TV doesn't have a digital input.

Of course, the picture is only half the experience, so you'll need to make an audio connection as well. If you're connecting your satellite receiver directly to your TV, audio patch cables will do the trick. However, a lot of satellite programming is broadcast in surround sound, so why not take advantage of it? Just connect your satellite receiver to a home theater receiver via an optical or coaxial digital audio cable. Keep in mind that most satellite receivers have an optical or a coaxial digital audio output, but not both.

According to DIRECTV and DISH Network, satellite receivers require a connection to a phone line for uninterrupted service. The phone line is used to update the interactive on-screen program guides. It's also needed to purchase pay-per-view events. The receiver will only dial a toll-free number, and this call does not interfere with your regular phone service. The receiver will automatically disconnect if someone picks up the phone or you receive a call.

A few final notes on satellite HD

There are a couple of things to be aware of regarding satellite and high-definition. First is the concept commonly known as "down-rezzing" — that is, not showing a high-def program in its full resolution. For example, many 1080i programs are not shown in their full 1920 x 1080 resolution, but in a "down-rezzed" 1280 x 1080. Satellite companies do this to maximize their available bandwidth, so they can send more channels into people's homes. Down-rezzed programs may not look as clear as pure HD, but they still look great — much better than their standard-definition counterparts.

Also, the quality of high-def programming can sometimes be inconsistent. For example, some shows might have recorded different scenes at different times with different equipment. We've seen this before in some nature shows. That scene of a gazelle recorded back in the '80s may be fuzzy and grainy compared to the sequence showing lion cubs recorded earlier this year.