Cable Television vs. Satellite TV
By comparing cable television vs.
satellite TV services you will most likely notice that the main differences
between these two types of mediums are in picture quality,
cost, programming choices, and consumer approval
ratings. If, after reading this, you do decide to take advantage
of all that satellite tv has to offer, you can take the next step
by comparing Dish
Network vs. Directv®. Or, you can simply order your
satellite TV services on the ordering
information page.
Picture Quality
Today's satellite TV providers only
broadcast digital signals so there is no extra charge for this. Cable
television offers just about as many channels as as a basic satellite
TV package but is broadcast in the analog format. However, for an
additional fee you can usually get the digital picture quality with
cable as well.
Comparison of Costs
In the United States, the average
cost for cable is around $40 per month. Cable TV subscribers get an
average of 60 channels. The average cost for cable television installation
is $40 for the first room plus $10 for each additional room. In comparison,
you can get 60 Satellite TV channels for as little as $20 per month.
This completely depends on the programming package that you choose.
For a cost comparison you can compare Dish
Network vs. Directv®. Both of these satellite TV providers
offer free satellite TV equipment and free standard professional installation
for up to four rooms when you are a new subscriber.
Programming Choices
In most areas of the country, cable
television offers just about as many channels as as a basic satellite
TV package but is broadcast in the analog format. Most cable companies
charge an additional fee of $10-20 per month for digital programming.
With satellite TV you will have the option of getting additional channels
by subscribing to a higher priced package.
The higher priced packages can get
you as many as 250 or more channels of all-digital programming. Today's
satellite TV providers only broadcast digital signals so there is
no extra charge for this. Satellite TV also offers more HDTV (high
definition TV) programming.
As with cable, there are multiple
tiers of programming packages that are available with satellite TV
services. You can choose to subscribe to premium channels, sports
packages and more. The higher priced packages of cable television
programming are fairly similar to the higher priced packages for satellite
TV The real difference is in the lower priced base packages that you
can get with the satellite TV providers.
Customer Approval
Dish Network and Directv® have
been rated higher in consumer approval than any of the cable TV companies
across the United States for several years now. Also, Dish Network
consistently gets a higher approval rating than Directv®.
Many people choose to stick with cable
because they are afraid that they may have too many outages with a
satellite TV system. Actually, the opposite is true. Cable television
outages average 3% to 5% per year whereas satellite TV outages average
only about 1% per year. Of course, this depends on the area of the
country where you live. If you live in an area that receives a lot
of snow, your satellite dish can stop receiving signals if it is covered
in a blanket of the white stuff. However, this can usually be easily
fixed by simply wiping off the dish.
You own personal approval rating will
vary depending on the amount of TV you watch and the type of programming
that you require. If you don't watch very much TV and you happen to
live in an area where cable television costs less than $20 per month,
then getting cable may be a viable option for you. However, if you
would like to have a large selection of channels for movies, sports,
news and special events for a value-added price then satellite TV
may be right up your alley. If it matters to you that all of your
television programming is in the digital video and sound format then
satellite TV may be your best option. If you want to take full advantage
of HDTV and DVR technology, then satellite TV is the only way to go.
