FTA Receiver FTA stand for "free-to-air" and a FTA Receiver is a satellite television receiver of which the sole purpose is to receive unencrypted broadcasts. FTA Receivers basically provide people with the alternative to watch free television without the need to purchasing subscription of programming package from other major satellite providers. The use of FTA Receivers in rural places is also very significant since television signals usually do not reach far outside the city.

Hence, FTA Receivers can be used as an alternative for watching television programs without making any other expensive purchases from other satellite providers. There are many FTA Receivers available in the market. Sonicview, Pansat, Coolsat and NFusion are some of them, just to name a few. Because of the popularity that FTA Receivers have received, there are many clones coming out in the market too.

However, it would be wise to stick to the original and to purchase from trusted dealers. The use of FTA Receivers have been known to be misused in cases such as when hackers tweak FTA Receivers to watch paid television for free. Such acts are illegal and also disliked by FTA Receiver distributors. FTA Receivers may have been mainly designed for viewing free television but they can be used to watch paid television too by the means of purchasing paid television in which case you receive a key compatible with FTA Receivers that can be used to watch paid television. The key is always the same no matter what FTA Receiver is used. If a key usually does not work, then it means that the key used is probably wrong.

Many FTA Receiver users have the misconception that FTA Receivers can be damaged by signals. But, the truth is, FTA Receivers can never be damaged by satellite signals as their only job is to receive and decode the signal. There is really no best manufacturer when it comes to FTA Receivers. They all basically do the same thing, receive and decode satellite signals. However, the important thing to be considered is if the FTA Receiver manufacturer has a good support group. According to a website dedicated to FTA Receivers, some of the best FTA Receivers of 2007 were the Sonicview 8000 HD, Coolsat 7000 PVR and the Viewsat Ultra.

The price of FTA Receivers can vary from US$100 to US$500 depending on their specifications. The Sonicview, Pansat, Viewsat and NFusion are all USA manufactured FTA Receivers. However, even if they originate from the same country, preference to a certain FTA Receiver comes from the fact that which FTA Receiver is provided the best support.

It would be best not to rely on deciding on this based on the opinions expressed by someone else. It would be best to judge for oneself since it's his/her money that is being spent. Enjoy the freedom of watching free television by purchasing a FTA Receiver. However, do remember to not violate any legal rules, and make sure to pay for paid television. And be warned that, the use of any third party extension on any FTA Receiver usually violates the terms of warranty defined by the FTA Receiver manufacturer.

DSS Boxes is author of this article on Viewat 9000 HD. Find more information about Pansat 9200 HD here.