Blog #2 Satellite Television

Satellite television works by bouncing television signals from space back down to a receiver on earth. The primary power sources of the satellites are solar panels. There are three types of satellites.  One type is geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO). These satellites stay stationary above one spot on earth. They are mainly used for 24-hour non-stop communication and are usually orbit the farthest away from earth. The second type is middle earth orbit (MEO). This satellite travels at lower speed than the earth. The third type is low earth orbit (LEO). Both of these satellites are used mainly for GPS. According to class lecture, the satellite works by using a transponder to receive signals from an earth antenna, then amplifies it, and then sends the signal back down to proper receivers.  An uplink the communication paths from a ground station to its satellite. A downlink is the communication paths from a satellite to its ground station.

Satellite has taken a downfall in the past decade, especially with the competition from cable television and IPTV. There is competition for more services from cable TV like the “triple play”.  The triple play offers Internet telephone and cable TV. This is why satellite falls short because it cannot offer all three of these services. It is difficult for satellite to provide Internet.

Satellite has had a significant impact on people since its inception in the 1970s. It has given them the ability to have so many channels at the tip of their fingertips. Not only has the use of satellite changed the way people view television here in the US; it has impacted countries all over the world. Saudi Arabia is one example. “During the 1980s, the spread of satellite dishes was limited; only elite, wealthy Saudis could afford dishes and the mandatory electronic equipment needed to decode incoming signals. However, several technological and economic changes during the 1990s made it possible for a larger number of Saudis to own satellite technology.” (Marghalani, 1998). Advancement in technology during the mid 1990s made it possible for people in countries such as Saudi Arabia to have access to satellite television. Although this may be an outdated fact, it is still important to point out that even though this technology seems to be like it is everywhere, that was not always the case in other countries.

Marghalani, K., Palmgreen, P., & Boyd, D. A. (1998). The utilization of direct satellite broadcasting (DBS) in saudi arabia. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 42(3), 297-314. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/619361697?accountid=7122

Fernando Garcia

Blog #1 iPhone 4Gs

  So when the announcement for the iPhone 4Gs came out I was pretty exited. I loved all of the features that were available with the new update version. Although, I was a bit disappointed that a redesigned phone was not introduced. Since I have been following the way Apple introduces new products it does not surprise me on bit. A few of the features that I really thought were quite impressive were things like Siri. Siri is basically a voice command that enables you to activate certain thing on the iPhone with just your voice. According to Mac Rumors, "Siri is straight out of science fiction." Another new update on the iPhone4Gs was something called iCloud. I though that this was actually a really great feature that I could benefit from. Being able to have all of my thing all in one place seems like a great idea. All in all I think I it it a great new piece of technology and I am most likely going to upgrade considering that I still have a 3GS.

Fernando Garcia