DirecTV
From Freepedia
DirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States and the rest of the Americas. DirecTV is owned by DirecTV Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation’s Fox Entertainment Group.
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History
DirecTV was launched in 1994 by General Motors subsidiary Hughes Electronics. It was the first high-powered DBS service in the world.
In 1998 DirecTV acquired its partner, USSB for $1.3 billion. In 1999 DirecTV acquired PrimeStar for $1.83 billion. In 2003, a merger with EchoStar, owner of Dish Network, fell through.
On December 22, 2003, General Motors sold controlling interest in Hughes Electronics to News Corporation.
DirecTV has long been a victim of an active piracy underground, but has recently begun to crack down on illegal reception of its signals. On its anti-piracy website, DirecTV claims to have sued over 24,000 end users as of March 17, 2004, including celebrity O.J. Simpson. DirecTV bases its suits on purchase records of ISO-7816 Smart Card devices, which are used to rewrite DirecTV’s access cards.
Number of subscribers by year
| Year | Subscribers |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 320,000 |
| 1995 | 1,200,000 |
| 1996 | 2,300,000 |
| 1997 | 3,301,000 |
| 1998 | 4,458,000 |
| 1999 | 6,679,000 |
| 2000 | 9,554,000 |
| 2001 | 10,218,000 |
| 2002 | 11,181,000 |
| 2003 | 12,290,000 |
| 2004 | 13,000,000 |
| 2005 | 14,500,000 |
General information
DirecTV typically uses a fixed 18-inch diameter dish antenna to receive its signals. Slightly larger, 18x24-inch elliptical antennas (which receive signals from several geostationary satellite positions simultaneously) are becoming more common as DirecTV (as well as other DBS services) attempt to squeeze more programming onto their growing systems — particularly local television network affiliate stations, as well as hybrid systems that also receive broadband satellite Internet service.
DirecTV, officially stylized as "DIRECTV," is often abbreviated as "DTV." However, DTV has recently been used to refer to digital television. Due to this conflict, and the fact that EchoStar is often abbreviated "E*" ("E" for Echo, "*" for star), DirecTV is more commonly abbreviated as "D*."
DirecTV receivers (television set-top boxes) originally were referred to as "Digital Satellite Service," or DSS, a blanket term that encompassed services marketed by both DirecTV and USSB. In 1998, after the acquisition of USSB, an American court ruled that the term "DSS" was an already trademarked term that could not be used by DirecTV.
DirecTV offers local channels to 93% of U.S. residents. Local channels are transmitted over terrestrial optical fiber networks to the Castle Rock Broadcast Center, in Castle Rock, Colorado, where they are uplinked.
Like its competitors, DirecTV also offers high-definition television (HDTV) and interactive services . Its self-branded digital video recorders (DVRs) originally were based upon technology licensed from TiVo in an agreement that has been largely supplanted by a new partnership with News Corporation-owned NDS.
As of March 31, 2005 DirecTV has 14.45 million customers in the U.S. and 1.57 million in Latin America. 2005 revenues for DirecTV U.S. is now $3.15 billion.
Beginning in mid-November 2005, DirecTV will discontinue its carriage of Music Choice audio-only channels, replacing the service with 72 channels of XM Satellite Radio.
Management
- Rupert Murdoch, Chairman
- Chase Carey, President and Chief Executive Officer
- Bruce B. Churchill, Executive Vice President
- Larry D. Hunter, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
- Michael W. Palkovic, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
- Romulo G. Pontua, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
- Patrick T. Doyle, Senior Vice President, Treasurer, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer
- Mark Ryan, senior director, Marketing
DirecTV access card history
In a continuing effort to combat piracy, DirecTV is now utilizing a fourth generation of ISO 7816 access cards.
- P1, also known as F cards, were used until 1997. F cards have a picture of a satellite on the front.
- P2, also known as H cards, were introduced in 1996 to replace F cards. H cards look the same as F cards. H cards were in use until 2002.
- P3, also known as HU cards, were introduced in 1999 and are no longer supported. HU cards have a picture of a football player on the front. HU cards originally shipped with receivers with serial numbers above 0001 700 000. These were removed from circulation due to high piracy plaguing the system.
- P4 cards were introduced in 2002 and are the current standard. P4 cards are labeled "Access Card: 4."
The newest card, which was introduced following compatibility problems with the P4 cards in some receivers, is commonly called the "D1" or "P11" card. These cards can be identified by the silver edges, and simply bear the word "DirecTV" on the front (no number).
Satellite fleet
| Satellite | Orbital slot | Launch date | Satellite type |
|---|---|---|---|
| DirecTV-1 | 110° W | December 17, 1993 | Hughes Electronics HS-601 |
| DirecTV-2 | 100.8° W | August 3, 1994 | Hughes Electronics HS-601 |
| DirecTV-3/Nimiq-3 | 91.1° W | June 10, 1995 | Hughes Electronics HS-601 |
| DirecTV-1R | 100.8° W | October 10, 1999 | Hughes Electronics HS-601HP |
| DirecTV-4S | 101.2° W | November 27, 2001 | Hughes Electronics HS-601HP |
| DirecTV-5 | 72.5° W | May 7, 2002 | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 |
| DirecTV-6 | 109.8° W | March 8, 1997 | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 |
| DirecTV-7S | 119° W | May 4, 2004 | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 |
| DirecTV-8 | 101° W | May 22, 2005 | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 |
| DirecTV-9S | TBD | (est.) early 2006 | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 |
| SPACEWAY-1 | 104° W | April 26, 2005 | Boeing BSS-702 |
| SPACEWAY-2 | 99.2° W | TBD | Boeing BSS-702 |
| DirecTV-10 | TBD | (est.) 2007 | Boeing BSS-702 |
| DirecTV-11 | TBD | (est.) 2007 | Boeing BSS-702 |
| DirecTV-12 | TBD | (est.) 2007 | Boeing BSS-702 |
See also
External links
- Official DirecTV corporate website
- DBS Forums
- DBS Talk forums
- SatelliteGuys forums
- TiVo Community forums
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Categories: High-definition television | News Corporation subsidiaries | Direct broadcast satellite services
