Choosing Between Cable and Satellite TV

Feb 13
12:41

2009

Janelle Elizabeth

Janelle Elizabeth

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There seems little doubt that satellite TV is the way of the future, and now that there are options available, it is within the reach of us all.

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Have you noticed how many of those 18 inch satellite dishes are popping up all over the place. Millions of households have moved from cable to satellite TV,Choosing Between Cable and Satellite TV Articles and continue to do so.

So, why the mass move to satellite TV? Can it be so much better than cable?

The following a just a few of the differences between cable and satellite TV.

Price

On average, basic cable will run you between $40 and $50 per month, and you will be charged a bit more for any add-ons or for digital programming.

You will also have to pay for adding cable to rooms within your home that don't have the proper connections already installed. With satellite, the average price for basic service, which generally includes digital channels, is between $30 and $40.

Choice

Generally, the choices in cable TV programming are more limited than satellite TV channels, or you have to pay more to get the same number of channels. Cable TV providers are also behind in the number of high-definition channels being offered.

Outages

According to studies and statistics provided by all the cable and satellite providers, cable TV providers nationwide experienced 3 to 5% outages, while satellite TV providers only experienced 1%.

Customer Service

For the past five years, the top satellite TV providers were ranked higher than the top cable companies by JD Powers and Associates.

Local Programming

Although years ago, you could not get local programming through satellite, this is generally no longer the case. This was one of the main reasons people chose not to go with satellite TV. At the moment, the higher level satellite television providers have options throughout most of the nation for local programming.

Armed with this data, its hard to dispute the fact that satellite TV is a top choice for those who watch a lot of television, or who have particular choices in what they watch.

Satellite TV is obviously one of the important waves of television in the future, and provides a great deal of choice and more packages than most cable companies.

Of course, in some areas, basic cable is still much cheaper than satellite TV, and for those that only want to watch the news and a few local programming choices, this is probably the better option.

An exciting development is that you can now access satellite TV through your PC. This opens up a lot of opportunities for people who would otherwise be unable to afford a satellite service.