FTA stands for Free to Air.  Basically FTA means an unencrypted Satellite TV or Radio broadcast which is completely FREE to the public.  There are many different FTA Satellite broadcasting Free to Air channels.  In order to view these FTA channels you need a receiver which is capable of watching these FTA broadcasts. 

FTA Receivers are usually cardless receivers used for picking up FTA signals.  These FTA signals are picked up by your FTA Satellite Dish and run through your FTA Receiver.  There are many different brands of FTA Receivers on the market these days.  Some of the biggest names out there right now would be the Viewsat, Coolsat, SonicView, and NFusion FTA Receivers.  There are also new HDTV FTA Receivers.  Some of the HD FTA Receivers include the Coolsat 8000HD and the SonicView SV-8000 HD.  These HD FTA Receivers are capable of High Definition picture quality. 

If you are thinking of getting an FTA Receiver you should probably also look into FTA Files and Keys Support.  FTA Receivers need to be updated here and there to keep current with the FTA Satellites.  By joining an FTA Support site you will get complete support for your FTA Receiver.  Meaning all the latest files and help and instructions will be right in one place for you.  FTA Receivers need to have their files and Keys updated frequently so getting good FTA Support  is very critical.

So, in conclusion <a href="http://www.n2news.com/fta.html">FTA</a> is very easy once it's explained.  It's not a hard thing to learn and there's tons of more information around the internet about Free to Air and HD FTA Receivers.