Satellite receivers usually look similar to cable boxes, the most notable difference would be in the internal function of the device. A satellite receiver, receives signals and transforms them into a readable or viewable signal for your television.

The standard format of satellite signals are MPEG2, which allow base stations to transfer more channels to various satellites. Because your TV set  cannot read MPEG2 signals, your satellite receiver will do the job for you by decompressing and decoding the MPEG2 format into any standard television format.

Once these signals are decoded, you will be able to watch various TV shows on different channels. However, you can receive two types of channels from your satellite TV – scrambled and unscrambled channels. While scrambled channels are those that need subscription (from Dish Network or Direct TV), unscrambled channels are viewable without any kind of charge. These are usually called FTA or free to air. I will touch more on FTA soon in another post.
Most providers of satellite networks provide both the equipment and installation. Although you will be paying monthly for their services, you will only receive a limited number of channels. Of course as always there  are many service upgrades available depending on you budget and tastes.