Satellite TV Vs Cable - And The Winner Is ...

By Brian Stevens


Cable TV Has Just About Caught Up To Satellite Television With Regards To Quality, Customer Service, And Value, But There Are A Few Differences Between The Two You Will Want To Bear In Mind If You Are Thinking About Purchasing Cable Or Satellite TV. Here They Are In A Nutshell .

cable TV vs satellite TV Cost

Typically, cable television costs $10 to $25 a month more as compared to satellite TV due in part to the fact that cable TV providers must pay local taxes and fees that satellite TV companies don't have to pay for.

As one example, in my neck of the woods cable television costs $57 per month for 142 satellite channels, while I can get Dish Network for $24.99 per month for 190 channels, and also three months of HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz.

With regards to rate increases, cable television service fees have increased by approximately 40% since 1998, while Dish Network and DirecTV's costs have risen by barely 8% within the same time period.

System Comparison

With cable television you get a receiver that receives a television signal coming from a cable TV company through an underground coaxial or fiber optic cable. The cable box receiver decodes the inbound TV signal and sends it to your TV set.

With satellite television you receive a dish which captures the signal originating from a satellite, as well as a receiver that converts the signal and sends it to your television.

With cable television you must pay between $3 to $5 a month for every cable box receiver you want hooked up to your Televisions. With Dish Network and DirecTV your recievers are free.

DVR Recorders

Digital video recorders, or DVRs, allow you to record your favorite shows. They also make it possible for you to pause the show you happen to be viewing so you could get a snack, answer the telephone, or whatever else you have to do, then resume viewing your show when you are ready.

Using the average cable television DVRs you can record 2 different shows simultaneously, and record up to 100 hours of programming. So if you have 3 shows that come on at the same time you will be able to record one and watch one, or record both shows, but you are going to miss the third show.`

DirecTV lets you record as many as 4 TV shows at one time and record 1.000 hours of programs, and Dish Network will allow you to record up to 6 shows at once plus record up to 2,000 hours of programming.



Equipment Set Up

Because of the competition among cable and satellite television providers, equipment installation for either one is free. You'll want to make sure you get a reliable installation company and a authorized installation technician, otherwise you may suffer equipment difficulties down the road.

Reliability

DirecTV and Dish Network outages average barely 1%. Cable television outages, conversely, are any where from 3% to 5% - up to 5 times greater than cable television.

Customer Rankings

Dish Network is ranked number one in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index among the top rated cable television companies and satellite television providers, while DirecTV is actually ranked number two.

Customer Service

Both satellite television companies provide 24/7 customer service so that you will not be left hanging if something goes wrong with your satellite television system and you need assistance.

In Conclusion

When it comes to program variety, number of channels, recording capability, reliability, price, plus customer satisfaction, satellite television beats cable TV hands down.






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