Ever wonder ? There's actually quite a bit of science going on behind the scenes, with several components working together to bring you that digital-quality signal.

Your channel selection begins with the programming sources themselves. Companies like Showtime, HBO or Cinemax create their programming. Channel providers then purchase rights to this programming . Once a provider has their programming in place, they turn their attention to the broadcast centre to compress and convert the programming for satellite broadcast.

Your Dish Network Programming originally arrives as a digital stream of video, which is then compressed and converted through an encoder, typically using the MPEG2 format. This format reduces the overall size of the video, .

Once encoded, the video is then encrypted . After the video has been encrypted, it is sent to the provider's satellite, strategically positioned in the sky.

The satellite itself uses a dish similar to your own satellite dish, to receive the video and send it back down to Earth. When the satellite sends the signal back down to Earth, it is picked up by your satellite dish, a small round antenna that receives the satellite's broadcast and sends the video on to your satellite TV receiver.

The satellite TV receiver is that little black box that sits inside your home and allows you to choose . The receiver actually performs several important functions in the satellite viewing process, including the decryption of the signal itself. If you remember, the satellite signal was scrambled by the provider to protect it from un-paying consumers. Your receiver 'de-scrambles' that signal and converts the signal into a format . Together these amazing components create a vividly clear digital picture for over 200 satellite channels.