Star television is the popular name of satellite television. A broadcasting transmitter on the ground can transmit signals only to a limited distance. Even if the transmitting antenna is on a tall mast, hills and valleys in the landscape can soon block the signals. The television satellite can be taken as an antenna on an incredibly tall mast – so tall that it is in space.
Satellites are being used for many years by TV stations to exchange TV programmes among each other. The signals are beamed out from earth station to spaces which are picked up by the aerial of the satellite. These signals are re-transmitted by the satellite down to another part of the earth where they are received by the dish antenna. The receiving TV station then transmits the signals to viewers in the usual way. In this way, TV signals are sent from one part of the world to the other. TV transmission from one earth station to the satellite and back to another earth station. Sports events are transmitted in this way.
The latest development is direct broadcasting by satellite, known as D.S.B., where the signals go straight to the viewers. For this, you need a special dish aerial like the one shown here to pick up D.S.B. TV.