What Is the Difference Between a Satellite Dish, Dish Network and DirecTV?

A satellite dish is both the device used to broadcast satellite TV signals and the antenna used to receive the programming once it is relayed back to the earth from an orbiting satellite. Satellite dishes are designed in a variety of ways to enhance different aspects of their reception ability and efficiency. They are available in different sizes to pick up the different frequency bands used in satellite broadcasting.

Dish Network is one of the two major subscription satellite TV providers in the United States. Established in 1996, Dish Network is considered a Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) service. In a DBS, the subscriber chooses a programming package and either buys or leases the satellite dish, receiver and other equipment necessary to receive the selected channels.

DirecTV is the main competitor to Dish Network in DBS satellite TV and is the largest subscription provider overall. Launched in 1990, DirecTV, like Dish Network, offers a variety of programming packages and optional features, including HD (high definition) channels and DVR service. Like Dish Network, DirecTV transmits in the Ku (Kurtz-under) -Band frequency range that allows for the use of the small, 18-inch diameter satellite dishes, as opposed to the large six-foot diameter dishes used for C-Band transmissions.

DBS providers like Dish Network and DirecTV are not the only sources for receiving satellite TV programming with a dish. Another primary option is free-to-air (FTA), which is the practice of transmitting unencrypted channels that can be viewed by anyone with a dish and receiver capable of accessing the satellite the channels are uplinked to. With FTA, the dish is often connected to a device known as a DISEqC switch, which allows it to rotate to pick up different satellites and the channels carried by each one. DBS subscribers receive programming from a single satellite.