Multicasting

Multicasting allows the sending of one transmission to many users simultaneously. This is a fundamental principle of satellite DTH broadcasting: multicasting enables the transmission of many hundreds of TV and radio channels to millions of satellite dish antennas within the satellite coverage area. For example, the ASTRA satellites at 19.2° East simultaneously transmit more than 1,100 TV and radio channels to 38+ million satellite homes within the ASTRA footprint...



See also: Free to air channel

The ubiquitous coverage provided by the ASTRA Satellite System enables Free to Air (FTA) channels such as Cubavision to reach households throughout Europe regardless of geographic barriers or national boundaries. Anyone with a standard set-top box and a dish pointed at an ASTRA satellite can receive FTA channels without the need for decoder cards or special equipment...