Everyone wants TV but no one wants to pay for it. If you are one of these people, you may be interested an FTA, or “Free To Air” receiver. FTA receivers are satellite dishes that are able to pick up unencrypted data that is transmitted through the air. FTA receivers are relatively cheap considering you don’t have to pay for service but they do have their downsides. In this article, we will explain what FTA receivers can and cannot do, how they work, and popular FTA receivers on the market.

What Are Free To Air Receivers

FTA, or Free To Air, receivers are great for picking up free satellite television shows if you live in an area away from standard service or simply do not want to pay for it. FTA receivers, however, are susceptible to the same forces that normal satellite dishes are. For example, cloud cover can block your satellite signal. FTA receivers are also not able to pick up encrypted information from service companies such as DirectTV or Dish Network. FTA receivers will allow you to watch the news, the weather channel, and a small number of regular broadcasting channels such as FOX, USA, and TNT.

How Do They Work

FTA receivers work much in the same way that normal satellite receivers work but instead of receiving a code to decrypt the service information, they only pick up unencrypted data. FTA receivers must be connected to a satellite dish so that it can detect and retreive the information that satellites broadcast. Rather than using a service satellite dish to pick up a specific company’s transmissions, FTA receivers pick up information from all satellites that are available in the area and then lists them in a fashion similar to a TV Guide.

Popular Free To Air Receivers

FTA receivers come in many different types and different prices depending on what you need. To help you choose a proper FTA receiver, we have compiled a small list of FTA receivers that are available on the market. The following FTA receivers work with almost all standard setups and can be configured to suit almost any need.

Pico Macom SIRD-FTA DirecTV Receiver

The Pico Macom Digital Free-To-Air Satellite Receiver is remote controlled and allows the user to receive information from all FTA satellites available in the area. The device is light-weight and takes up little room which makes it highly portable and accessible for any entertainment center. It provides high quality digital signals directly to your television and can access preprogrammed upgrades to improve transmissions and offer additional services. With the right cables, the device can also be connected to a computer so that you may watch FTA channels directly from your PC.

ViewSat VS Pro PVR FTA Satellite Receiver

The ViewSat VS Pro PVR FTA Satellite Receiver is a Tivo combined with an FTA receiver. It allows you to record, pause, and play television that is received from FTA satellites in your area. The device stresses user-friendliness and fast processing speeds in order to provide you with the best possible experience. The ViewSat is easy to setup and is equipped with a streamlined access menu so that you can easily search for and select the channels and shows that appeal to your tastes. The device is relatively cheap and generally comes with a user manual, setup wizard, and a 2 GB USB drive.

SonicView SV-8000HD Definition Free To Air Satellite Receiver

The SonicView SV 8000HD Definition Free To Air Satellite Receiver provides high definition quality to either a television or computer and processes FTA signals at a lightning-fast speed. The SonicView SV 8000HD is more expensive than many other FTA receivers but comes with a few additional features. For example, the device allows you to not only sort and search FTA channels but also to name them to fit your personal viewing needs. Most of the extra money goes towards the extra quality and lower power consumption that you get from your SonicView SV 8000HD. Additionally, the SonicView SV 8000HD allows you to place parental controls on specific channels to block content to younger viewers in your home.

Coolsat 7100 PVR Free-To-Air Satellite Receiver

The Coolsat 7100 PVR Free-To-Air Satellite Receiver is a mid-high quality device that organizes and presents FTA channels in a user-friendly environment. The device provides good picture but only offers 40 minutes of recording time. The device is USB-enabled, however, so you could theoretically connect an external hard drive to the FTA receiver to maximize recording capabilities.