TV network feed

[CrabbyMilton]

Which band do the TV networks use to up link feed that is sent to their respective affiliates?
Is there an eventual time where TV networks will send this feed via the internet and make this technology obsolete?

 

[mass-man]

Ku band satellite!!!!
14gig and change uplink...

Full HD video takes a LOT of bandwidth and is murder on internet connections. Some is done via VOIP or fiber now, but from static locations, such as bureaus or feedpoints where the pipe is big enough. In the field there are bonded cellphone options that are real time but still have a few bugs...

that's why you still see the satellite uplink trucks at big news events...often the only way to squirt a signal out...

 

[jcardani]

Hi,

Do you mean news feeds back to the affiliate stations? Then KU is the primary band that's used, but there are some feeds that are on C band. The best times to view the news feeds are in the morning AM news times or the evening news times. Or when there is a big breaking story happening. The format used is DVB/MPEG digital.

If you are referring to the big network (NBC, CBS, FOX, etc) feeds of their prime time shows back to the affiliates then the band is a mix between C and KU band. PBS and NBC are on KU and the rest are on C band. Some are clear some are encrypted.

Optimal dish size for KU would be in the 1-1.2 meter range for some of the more complex signals, otherwise around 90 cm would work. For C band although a 6 foot dish would probably get about 1/2 the sats, 8 foot would be minimal for most channels. Some more complex signals would require 10 afoot dish.

There's a lot to learn about the hobby. Here are some of the links I have found to be useful:

Lyngsat
LyngSat

Rick's Satellite Wildfeed and Backhaul Forum
Ricks Satellite Wildfeed and Backhaul Forum

SatelliteGuys Forum (Free to air discussion)
Free To Air (FTA) Discussion | SatelliteGuys.US

Sat Forums
www.satforums.com

After my move to Florida I still have not set up my KU FTA system. But I have in the past had motorized KU dishes up to 1.2 meter and C band dishes up to 12 feet. Started the hobby in 1984 when everything including HBO was in the clear. That was the golden age of Satellite TV before DirectTV and Dish almost ruined the hobby.

 

[n2nov]

Hey Joe! That's when I also started my satellite dish business, Satview/Plus. We specialized in the 10 foot Winegard C/Ku dishes because they were quite sturdy. The business closed in the mid-90s when Dish/DirecTV became the hot thing and there was no money to be made in it. We sure did have alot of fun in the earlier days of TVRO.

 

[CrabbyMilton]

Thanks much folks that's pretty much what I was looking for.
So the long and short of it is that does big dishes you see at TV stations aren't going away anytime soon. I don't have a problem with them quite the contrary. There are some prognosticators out there that believe this and that over the air TV will transmit via VOIP 100% so no more towers either.
We went from the old microwave relay to satellites for this so fiber optic via internet would be a logical step but perhaps not just yet if at all.

 

[wyShack]

Internet 'traffic' is point to point by its nature. If you are trying to 'broadcast' a video to several hundred other stations, transmiting to a satiliite, then having all the receivers get it as a broadcast will make sense for a long time.

 

[jcardani]

Hi Charlie,

My first dish was a Winegard 10 foot dish on the pedestal mount. Great dish but it was a pain to track the sats because the declination adjustment was not continuous. I think it was by 1 or 1/2 degree increments. I lived in Philly at the time and I convinced my Dad to let me build a 12' platform in our small back yard for the dish. Started with a hand crank then moved to various actuators. had so many different receivers through the years: Luxor, Chaparral, DX Antenna, Drake, etc. Been through the Captain Midnight fiasco, Shawn Kenny's Greensheets/blank on the VC2, three musketeers chips, and all the other crazy stuff through the years. I moved the NJ in the early 90's and bought a 12' DH spun aluminum dish. Removed it in 2003 when I moved again. What fun those days were. But there is a much smaller hobbyist following now. I am in an HOA controlled subdivision now so a big dish would be out o the question. But I was happy to see that a company in Canada has started manufacturing mesh dishes again. They do ship to USA.

Joe

Hey Joe! That's when I also started my satellite dish business, Satview/Plus. We specialized in the 10 foot Winegard C/Ku dishes because they were quite sturdy. The business closed in the mid-90s when Dish/DirecTV became the hot thing and there was no money to be made in it. We sure did have alot of fun in the earlier days of TVRO.

 

[Your_account]

I wish I could have such an nice Antenna on my Rooftop.
Here some Company still use Sat Upload for Live Sport Event lile F1 and Skiing.