fed to the TV receivers of customers. Advantage of this modern technology is clear video and sound quality for the programmes & movies. Main divice of DTH system are a small dish antenna, set top box and pre activated viewer card. DTH operates in digital technology.

There are 6 prominent brands offering DTH services in India. They are DD Direct+, Sun Direct, Tata Sky, Dish TV, Big TV and Airtel Digital TV.

A new era in direct-to-home television services is expected to be ushered in with next month's introduce of India's new generation telecommunication spacecraft INSAT-4A and follow-on satellites in the series. The first spacecraft of the INSAT 4 series to be launched

next month is the heaviest built by Indian Space Research Organisation and will carry 12 Ku-band - primarily to meet the growing demand for DTH satellite link applications - and 12 C-band transponders.

When satellite television first hit the market in the early 1990s, home dishes were expensive metal units that took up a huge chunk of yard space. In these early years, only the most die-hard TV fans would go through all the hassle and expense of putting in their own dish. Satellite TV was a lot harder to get than broadcast and cable TV.