Sat in the city:

to make the leap
analogue to digital!
Economical switchover to
DigitalSat
The access to digital satellite broadcasting
is also good value and can
often be problem-free. The modest
one-off purchase costs are directly
comparable to VAT and a clear plus
point when compared to watching TV
via satellite: A top quality complete
system, with satellite dishes, a digital
receiver and the required cables
is already available for around 180
euros. And this only applies when the
household does not already have an
old satellite system to hand. In the
latter case, the old parabolic antenna
can usually be reused without any
problems. This means complex new
cabling systems are also generally not
necessary, which reduces the costs required
for the switchover to receiving
DigitalSat even further as a result.
Expensive cable charges
often unnecessary
In view of the continually climbing
costs for leasers and house-owners to
view analogue and digital cable, the
switchover to satellite receiving is often
of benefit to all parties concerned.
Since the costs of the retrofitting to
digital satellite receiving equipment
are limited to the initial basic outlay,
the costs of a satellite system are
balanced out by the inclusion of the
yearly cable costs incurred, possibly
very swiftly. Moreover, the standard
set of programmes provided via cable
rarely exceeds a total of 60, regardless
of whether it is analogue or digital
broadcasts.
Retrofitting of existing
receiving units
Analogue systems for receiving satellite
broadcasts can usually be retrofitted
problem-free with their own
intrinsic energy. For anyone who is
unsure whether their own satellite
system is suited for digital receiving
or not, it is worth contacting a specialist
for advice. The retrofitting only requires
the exchange of two parts: First
the analogue satellite receiver (also
known as the receiver or set-top box)
and also the LNB (Low Noise Block
Converter), which, from a technical
perspective, represents the actual
receiving unit for the transmission of
radio waves from the orbit. We will
cover the selection of a suitable satellite
receiver in a moment, but what
does the mysterious acronym LNB actually
stand for? The LNB represents
the receiving section of the parabolic
antenna. It is located in front of the
satellite dish and mounted on a small
extension arm. This is also a piece to
be exchanged, and then to reconnect
the cable/s leading from there
to the receiving unit (receiver). Since
the connection of the cable is usually
made via the conventional F-plug,
which is also included on the receiver
itself, the procedure can usually be
INFODIGITAL December 2008 35