Cable Has Pretty Much Caught Up With Satellite Television As Far As Quality, Customer Care, And Value, But There Are Differences Between The Two You Will Want To Be Aware If You Are Thinking About Purchasing Satellite Or Cable TV. Here's A Short Comparison Of The Two:
Cable TV vs Satellite TV Cost
Cable can cost up to $25 per month more when compared with satellite TV for the same services. That's $300 per year more. This difference is due in part because cable providers must pay local fees and taxes
Where I live in Arizona if I were to pay for cable television it would cost me almost $60 per month for 140 TV channels. If I were to purchase Dish Network service it would cost me $24.99 for 190 TV channels.
Another difference is the rate increases. Cable Television service has increased by 40% since 1998, while satellite TV service has increased by a mere 8% in that same time frame.
Equipment Comparison
With cable television you get a receiver which receives a TV signal from a cable television provider through an underground coaxial or fiber optic cable. The receiver converts that signal and delivers it to your TV.
With satellite television you get a satellite dish which captures the signal originating from a satellite, and a receiver that converts the signal and sends it to your TV.
With cable TV you'll have to pay between $3 to $5 per month for each and every cable box receiver you want connected to your TVs. With Dish Network and DirecTV your recievers are free of charge.
DVR Recorders
Digital video recorders, or DVRs, allow you to record your favorite shows. They also allow you to pause the show that you are watching so you can get a snack, answer the phone, or whatever else you need to do, then resume viewing your show whenever you are ready.
Using the average cable DVRs you are able to record 2 TV shows at once, and record 100 hours of programs. The drawback with this is when you have got 3 shows that come on at the same time you can view one show and record one, record two shows, but you won't be able to view the third show.`
DirecTV will allow you to record 4 TV shows at once and record 1.000 hours of programs, and Dish Network allows you to record up to 6 shows simultaneously plus record up to 2,000 hours of programming.
Installing The Components
The two satellite providers, and also most cable TV companies, will install all of the components needed to receive their programming at no charge. You need to ensure that you get a professional installation company and a qualified installation technician, or else you may experience equipment problems down the road.
Reliability
DirecTV and Dish Network blackouts average 1%. Cable TV outages, on the other hand, are anywhere from 3% to 5% - up to 5 times greater than cable.
Customer Satisfaction
Dish Network is ranked number one in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index among the top cable TV companies and satellite television providers, while DirecTV is actually ranked number two.
Customer Service
Consumer support for most satellite TV as well as cable television providers is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which includes holidays, and with nearly all providers the service is very good.
The Bottom Line
With regards to program assortment, number of channels, recording capability, reliability, cost, plus customer satisfaction, satellite television beats cable television hands down.
Cable TV vs Satellite TV Cost
Cable can cost up to $25 per month more when compared with satellite TV for the same services. That's $300 per year more. This difference is due in part because cable providers must pay local fees and taxes
Where I live in Arizona if I were to pay for cable television it would cost me almost $60 per month for 140 TV channels. If I were to purchase Dish Network service it would cost me $24.99 for 190 TV channels.
Another difference is the rate increases. Cable Television service has increased by 40% since 1998, while satellite TV service has increased by a mere 8% in that same time frame.
Equipment Comparison
With cable television you get a receiver which receives a TV signal from a cable television provider through an underground coaxial or fiber optic cable. The receiver converts that signal and delivers it to your TV.
With satellite television you get a satellite dish which captures the signal originating from a satellite, and a receiver that converts the signal and sends it to your TV.
With cable TV you'll have to pay between $3 to $5 per month for each and every cable box receiver you want connected to your TVs. With Dish Network and DirecTV your recievers are free of charge.
DVR Recorders
Digital video recorders, or DVRs, allow you to record your favorite shows. They also allow you to pause the show that you are watching so you can get a snack, answer the phone, or whatever else you need to do, then resume viewing your show whenever you are ready.
Using the average cable DVRs you are able to record 2 TV shows at once, and record 100 hours of programs. The drawback with this is when you have got 3 shows that come on at the same time you can view one show and record one, record two shows, but you won't be able to view the third show.`
DirecTV will allow you to record 4 TV shows at once and record 1.000 hours of programs, and Dish Network allows you to record up to 6 shows simultaneously plus record up to 2,000 hours of programming.
Installing The Components
The two satellite providers, and also most cable TV companies, will install all of the components needed to receive their programming at no charge. You need to ensure that you get a professional installation company and a qualified installation technician, or else you may experience equipment problems down the road.
Reliability
DirecTV and Dish Network blackouts average 1%. Cable TV outages, on the other hand, are anywhere from 3% to 5% - up to 5 times greater than cable.
Customer Satisfaction
Dish Network is ranked number one in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index among the top cable TV companies and satellite television providers, while DirecTV is actually ranked number two.
Customer Service
Consumer support for most satellite TV as well as cable television providers is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which includes holidays, and with nearly all providers the service is very good.
The Bottom Line
With regards to program assortment, number of channels, recording capability, reliability, cost, plus customer satisfaction, satellite television beats cable television hands down.
About the Author:
Click on the link that follows to compare cable television vs satellite television and to find out where to get the lowest price on satellite TV service. Click on the following link to see a video clip that compares cable television vs satellite television.
