History of FTA - Free to Air

FTA starts all the way in Asia. Asia was actually the first place Free to Air or MPEG-2 transmissions were used with lots of people. Back then, you would have to use the big ugly dishes and antenna's that we all remember. Connecting multiple dishes or antennas was hard to do and took up a lot of space which made it very hard for most people to get multiple channels. Mpeg-2 allowed for more channels to be broadcasted per transmission which made it take off in the Satellite testing community. Unlike Asia, North Americans were able to afford and maintain these big dishes and antennas and FTA became more and more popular here. With the debut of satellite television FTA Receivers gained more and more popularity. Surpassing any of it's guessed growth. So basically, FTA Receivers got huge in Asia first, then the fad began to move it's way to europe, and then finally it made it here. Now it's getting bigger and bigger here. Always growing. The first receiver that were sold in North America were the Hyundai HSS-series of receivers which were extremely primitive only getting about 99 different channels. They were slow, hard to get working, and pretty all around lame compared to todays selection of models and makes.

MPEG-2 is a name that describes the type of digital satellite transmission that MPEG-2 receivers connect to. MPEG-2 is the best out there right now, rivaling analog because of it's ability to send 8-10 times the amount of data on the same stream. Digital signals can be transmitted either encryted or nonencrypted. This is the same in analog. Meaning the sender can scramble channels or not scramble them. The term "In the Clear" is known in the digital TV / DSS world as FTA ( Free-To-Air). Since it is a worldwide standard, there are more MPEG-2 / DVB (digital video broadcasting) channels available in places such as Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, than presently found in the American market. National public broadcasters in other parts of the world have adopted MPEG-2 because it's the cheapest way to send out the signals with the lowest cost.

Spread of free MPEG-2 signals into North America has been previously hampered by the dominance of the Digicipher 2 video standard made by the former General Instrument (now Motorola Broadband) group. Receivers such as 4DTV and other versions of the Digicipher 2 actually have the letters MPEG-2 stamped on them, but are not compatible with the rest of the world. The difference comes in the way that signals are layered together, especially in the encryption process. It has given the Digicipher 2 a protected monopoly in America. Scientific-Atlanta's PowerVu system is more closely related to MPEG-2, and it has a lion's share of digital channels in the rest of the world. It helps that the worldwide PanAmSat satellite system works closely with Scientific-Atlanta in promoting this digital alternative. What is unique is that when signals are NOT addressably encoded, the PowerVu system can be viewed in-the-clear (or Free-to-Air) on most consumer MPEG-2 digital receivers. Several DBS systems in North America use the MPEG-2 platform, and when they choose NOT to encode channels, signals are also available in the same manner. These include Echostar's DISH Network, Canada's Bell ExpressVu, Mexico's SKY MEXICO, and the former Sky Vista and AlphaStar...once on Telstar 5 but now out of business.

This unusual mix of compatible free-to-air systems has presented the opportunity for a great number of channels to become available to North American viewers. There are always a few channels in the transition between in-the-clear and subscription transmission mode. The ultimate goal in many cases is for a subscription service, but some channels have been in-the-clear for months and even years before reverting to scrambling. When a channel goes into that mode, arrangements are usually available with one of the small dish DBS services to sell a subsidized priced receiver when making a long-term commitment to a subscription. We shall concentrate on the channels that continue to transmit in a free mode.

Most of the channels you get with FTA in MPEG-2 are foreign to North America. Having any is completely dependant upon a company from the other side of the world charging a customer for the satellite transmission they are using from North America. Once in a while a company will charge for the transmission they send out to a small satellite dish such as DishNet or DTV and the internation free to air satellite transmission will be left in the signal. It's reasoning behind this is basically better business, people are more inclined to buy a bunch of channels from you if you are sending them all to one small dish rather then them having to install a huge cband antenna to receive one free channel. After a while though, so many many different people will be using this free feed inside the charged for feed that the system gets overrunned with usage so the satellite company will start charging for this service. So far all the Russian and Polish channels this has happened too including many more after those two. There's still quite a few of these free internation incomming feeds still available from dishnet including some arabic channels and a few other public broadcasters such as PBS. Mostly the bill is picked up by the actual country the feed is coming from. We know it sounds weird that there would be such thing as completely no cost television but it's true. It may not be the way we do things but other countries are fine with supplying these services and incomming signals for completely free.

We cannot guarantee the permanent availability of any particular channel. These receivers are primarily designed for the hobbyist; to allow hundreds of additional channels to become available via satellite. This is not the same as, and not a replacement for a 4DTV digital receiver. It should be considered as a supplementary way of getting additional channels otherwise unavailable---no more, no less. Any channel that is now part of an otherwise subscription service but temporarily in free mode should be considered as NOT available on a permanent basis...unless you pay a subscription fee and have hardware for that service. Other broadcasters could be approached individually with an Email, requesting info on what their future plans may be with regard to subscription or free status. The Lyngemark Satellite Chart listed above has Email links and contact information for many channels around the world. Otherwise, do as most hobbyists do...enjoy the free show while it lasts. The number of channels continue to grow, so if your favorite Free-To-Air service goes away or switches to subscription, chances are better than not that something else will soon come along that tickles your fancy.