Friday, September 27, 2013

Which Is The Best - Cable Television Versus Satellite Television

By Brian Stevens


Cable Television Has Pretty Much Caught Up To Satellite Television When It Comes To Quality, Customer Care, And Value, But There Are A Few Differences Between The Two You Will Want To Be Aware If You Are Thinking About Investing In Cable Or Satellite TV. Here They Are In A Nutshell .

Cable TV vs Satellite TV Cost

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

For example, in my neck of the woods cable television costs $57 monthly for 140 satellite channels, while I can get Dish Network for $24.99 a month for 190 channels, plus 3 months of HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, plus Starz.

Another difference is the rate increases. Cable Television service has increased by 40% since 1998, while satellite television service has increased by a mere 8% in that same time frame.

Equipment Comparison

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

Satellite TV providers give you a satellite dish that captures the signal coming from the company's satellite, and also a receiver that decodes that signal and sends it to your television set.

For both systems you'll need a receiver for each television in your house that you want to watch cable or satellite Television programming on. Cable providers charge $3 to $5 a month extra for every receiver, while Dish Network and DirecTV receivers are free.

Digital Video Recorders

DVRs (digital video recorders) are built into cable or satellite receivers and allow you to record Television programs. They also allow you to pause the show you are viewing so you could get a snack, answer the telephone, or whatever else you have to do, then continue watching your show when you're ready.

Using the average cable television DVRs you'll be able to record 2 different TV shows simultaneously, and record up to 100 hours of programs. The problem with this is that if you have 3 shows that come on simultaneously you can watch one show and record one, record two shows, however, you won't be able to view the third show.`

Dish Network, however, allows you to record 6 different programs simultaneously, and you can record as many as 2,000 hours of programming, so you will not miss out on your favorite programs. With DirecTV you can record 4 different TV shows at once, plus record as many as 1,000 hours of programming.



System Set Up

The two satellite television providers, as well as almost all cable companies, will install all the equipment necessary to receive their programming at no charge. To ensure you don't have equipment problems down the line, you'll want to ensure the company who installs your components uses qualified technicians.

Dependability

Cable television black outs average 3% to 5% depending on the company that installs the cable television system, while Dish Network as well as DirecTV black outs average 1%.

Consumer Ratings

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

Consumer Support

Consumer support for most satellite TV as well as cable television providers is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which includes holidays, and with the majority of providers the service is good.

Bottom Line

There is no doubt about it. Satellite TV is the ultimate winner when it comes to price, variety of programming, quantity of channels, recording time, as well as customer satisfaction.

View this video to see a comparison of cable TV vs. satellite TV to find out which has got the best service.





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