BBC and ITV have recently stopped using encryption. They restrict coverage by using satellites with a smaller footprint which is meant to just cover the UK though as some of the other comments suggest that isn't entirely the case.
CH4 and Five for their own reasons have decided to stay encrypted and it will be a couple of years before their contact comes up for renewal.
However Sky has flooded the market with subsidised receivers which can only properly work with Sky which uses its own proprietary standards which it keeps secret.
It is possible to received satellite TV in the UK without a Sky box but because it doesn't support the sky standardrds you wont get CH4, CH5 no programme guide and no interactive services.
This leads to a public perception that sky boxes are somehow "better" of indeed that Sky and satellite TV are one and the same.
If and when BBC does launch an HD satellite service you can expect that there will be "fair and balanced" reports of how awful it is all over the Murdoch press.
This is a great pity because in many ways satellite TV is superior to its terrestrial version. There is much more space for such things as HD channels and no need to cover the country with high power transmitters.
Register
Re: Sky monopoly
BBC and ITV have recently stopped using encryption. They restrict coverage by using satellites with a smaller footprint which is meant to just cover the UK though as some of the other comments suggest that isn't entirely the case.
CH4 and Five for their own reasons have decided to stay encrypted and it will be a couple of years before their contact comes up for renewal.
However Sky has flooded the market with subsidised receivers which can only properly work with Sky which uses its own proprietary standards which it keeps secret.
It is possible to received satellite TV in the UK without a Sky box but because it doesn't support the sky standardrds you wont get CH4, CH5 no programme guide and no interactive services.
This leads to a public perception that sky boxes are somehow "better" of indeed that Sky and satellite TV are one and the same.
If and when BBC does launch an HD satellite service you can expect that there will be "fair and balanced" reports of how awful it is all over the Murdoch press.
This is a great pity because in many ways satellite TV is superior to its terrestrial version. There is much more space for such things as HD channels and no need to cover the country with high power transmitters.