Home Theater Wiring: Digital Satellite System

Looking for information about home theater wiring a digital satellite system?

In many rural areas where cable isn't available, and the reception of broadcast television is poor or nonexistent, satellite dishes are a real blessing.

Their cost and service are comparable to cable systems, and the digital picture is very high quality.

Most satellite companies offer installation as part of their initial purchase package. But not everyone wants to be available when the installer is available.

Doing the job isn't difficult, but it will probably take most of a day to complete.

If you had to install a second system right away, it would take just a couple of hours.

FOR A DIGITAL-SATELLITE-SYSTEM TELEVISION RECEIVER, color-coded wiring connections are made between the receiver, a low-noise amplifier or I blocker, and an antenna.

These are connected, in turn, to the satellite dish antenna.

BECAUSE SO MANY VARIABLES determine the quality of signal received by a conventional mast antenna, improvements to this system are often employed.

Today, when dealing with home theater wiring you’ll notice that many antenna systems use coaxial-cable lead-in wires to improve reception.

Other choices include preamplifiers, high-sensitivity receivers, and directional antennas that can be rotated by remote-control motors.

A rotating antenna is commonly operated by a simple low-voltage plug-in transformer that reduces 120-volt power to 24 volts—enough power to control the rotational motor.

Where available, most homes today have cable television connections that provide direct-wired reception through a cable company antenna.

This type of antenna typically uses RG6 quad-shielded coaxial cable, which consists of two foil shields, each covered with a second braided shield.

The shielding helps to prevent loss or degradation of the signal at higher electromagnetic frequencies.

Many homeowners who don't have access to cable television or who simply prefer another option now use satellite systems to receive television programming.

Satellite television offers a wider selection of programming than cable and often provides better-quality reception.

A home satellite television (HSTV) system consists of a transmitter that beams microwaves at a communications satellite, the satellite itself, a receiving antenna dish, and a satellite television receiver, known as a TYRO (Television Receive Only).

Once it receives a signal, the satellite responds by transmitting it back to earth (transponding), where it may be received by any digital satellite antenna aimed toward the satellite and tuned to the right frequency.

A device called a feedhorn at the focal point of the parabolic (bowl-shaped) antenna dish focuses imprecise satellite signals and conveys them to a low-noise block converter (LNB).

The signals are then greatly magnified and sent to the home theater wiring digital satellite system (DSS) receiver that sits on your television set.

Audio/video tuning is handled by an A/V receiver that sits on or near your television set.

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