dth

Direct-to-Home (DTH) is a method of delivering television programming directly from a satellite to a subscriber’s home, bypassing local terrestrial infrastructure. A central broadcast facility uplinks the channels to a geostationary satellite, where transponders retransmit the signals to a wide footprint that covers the intended service area. At the subscriber’s premises, a satellite dish and a low-noise block downconverter (LNB) receive the downlink signal and feed it to a set-top box or integrated receiver, which decodes the video and audio and outputs it to a television.

DTH systems typically use digital video broadcasting standards such as DVB-S or DVB-S2 for transmission and compress video using MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or HEVC codecs. Many services employ conditional access systems to control subscriber access, often requiring a smart card or CAM (conditional access module) to decrypt channels. The service model is usually subscription-based, with packages that may include standard definition, high definition, and increasingly 4K content, along with DVR functionality and on-demand options.

Key technical considerations include the choice of satellite band, commonly Ku-band (and less frequently Ka-band) for consumer DTH, the need for a clear line of sight to the satellite, and susceptibility to weather-related reception issues. Coverage quality depends on dish size, alignment accuracy, and signal strength.

Global use of DTH varies by region, with prominent providers in different markets. Advantages include broad channel lineups and independent distribution from terrestrial networks; drawbacks include hardware costs, ongoing fees, and potential signal disruption during adverse weather.