Cable Television

Three Major Ways to Receive TV Signals

There are three major ways to receive television broadcasts. They include Broadcast Television, Cable Television and Satellite Television.

Broadcast Television

Broadcast TV is usually defined as TV signals which are transmitted from a terrestrial source, usually a transmission tower. Most broadcast TV signals are free to anyone with a receiver to pick them up. They include traditional TV channels that broadcast standard TV signals on specific radio frequencies.

Television signals are transmitted on a range of radio frequencies (RF) that includes Bands III, IV and V.

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has allocated 6 MHz of bandwidth for each TV channel. Each TV channels is on one of 3 bands ranging from Bands III, IV or V. Here is the breakdown:

    Band III - Channels 2 to 6 (54 to 88 MHz)
    Band IV    - Channels 7 to 13 (174-216 MHz)
    Band V    - Channels 14 to 83 (470 to 890 MHz)

VHF (Very High Frequencies) are channels that include channels 2 to 13. UHF (Ultra High Frequencies) are channels that usually include channels 14 to 83.

The Reason for using these Bands is that these radio frequencies are great for carrying TV signals (both audio and video signals). These bands provide high quality audio and video with relatively low interference. These radio waves have a long range and can penetrate structures such as walls and building exteriors.

Satellite TV

Satellite TV uses a different form of transmission. Instead of transmitting signals from the ground, satellite TV transmits from satellites orbiting the earth. Satellite signals are usually digital and encoded and compressed. They require special antennas pointing in specific directions to pick up specific satellite signals. These signals must then be decoded or unencrypted and decompressed to view on a TV set. This usually requires special equipment and most satellite TV services operate on a pay per service fee.