Watch Satellite TV Or Cable TV?
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008
Watch satellite TV or cable TV? This is a popular question. After all, cable and satellite TV are the most common ways to catch television entertainment programs. Be it news, LIVE sports, TV shows, movies, music videos or cartoons, as long as they are broadcast on television, it is either via cable or satellite TV services.
A Fair Comparison of Both Satellite TV and Cable TV
The fight between these two entertainment titans can be narrowed to a few aspects. They are the cost of viewing, the picture and audio quality, variety of programs, ease of installation and the level of customer satisfaction or reviews and feedback of viewers.
Fees – How Satellite TV and Cable TV Compare
Cable TV monthly subscriptions have dipped a little over time. Nowadays, from the cheapest package of $29.99 to over $100, the price range can vary quite dramatically. From 40 channels to more than 150 channels, you can decide how many you want. Cable TV providers do charge you for the installation per room. It can set you back by about $40 per room.
Satellite TV fees are lower in general. While the cheapest plan DISH Family so far from Dish Network is around $19.99 per month for 40 channels, DirecTV is charging around $39.99 per month for over 200 channels. Compared to cable TV, a satellite TV deal is a much cheaper and better deal.
At the same time, installation is free inclusive of the satellite TV equipment for up to 4 rooms. When there are special deals, you can get a discount for your subscription and at times free gifts like free television sets and so on. In terms of pricing, it appears that to watch satellite TV does have an edge over cable TV.
Program Variety – Cable Vs Satellite TV
Depending on the price point you enter ie the package you subscribe for, the number of television programs could be the same. However, generally, satellite TV being the cheaper option can offer more channels for the same price you pay for cable TV. Cable is broadcast via analog or over-the-air format. Nowadays, digital cable TV is becoming the norm and it generally can cost an additional $10 upwards a month.
Satellite TV on the other hand can offer you more programs than cable TV in general. Currently, the most popular packages allow for more than 200 channels. And you get high definition TV (HDTV) programs. Digital satellite TV is the standard nowadays which also means that the quality of picture and audio are superb!
Installation – Cable and Satellite TV; Which is Easier?
Cable only requires cable boxes for the purpose of connecting the incoming cable lines to your television sets. It is free but if you need to use a digital video recorder to record your shows, then be prepared to fork out some money to rent.
If you watch satellite TV on the other hand, a satellite TV dish and TV receivers are key components. You would be pleased to note that the providers such as Dish Network and DirecTV both offer them free of charge. You get a free upgrade to TiVo/DVR (digital video recording) or HDTV receiver with Dish Network. DirecTV on the other hand charges you for DVR receivers and HDTV receivers.
Customer Satisfaction and Feedback
Cable TV outages range from 3 to 5% a year. This is considered poor in performance as ranked by J.D Powers and Associates. J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information firm that conducts independent and unbiased surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality and buyer behavior.
Satellite TV outages is at 1% on average. According to J.D Power and Associates, this is by far much better than the performance of cable TV.
Conclusion – Should You Watch Satellite TV or Cable TV?
With all things being equal, watching satellite TV is the better choice. However, the truth is there may be certain limitations. You may be living in a built up area where satellite TV reception is poor. At the same time, if you are looking only for cheap plans with small number of channels, maybe a $19.99 per month cable TV subscription could be more suitable for you.
However, if you want to have the maximum number of TV shows and enjoy programs like LIVE sports, movies, TV shows, games, music videos, world news and so on, then to watch satellite TV is a more logical solution. Be it quality picture and sound or pricing, satellite TV is the clear winner!
