Apr 17 2009
Satellite TV And Cable TV - Which Is The best System?
Cable TV and satellite TV - which is the better system? There’s a battle going on between Cable TV and Satellite TV. Today, consumers have a option between conventional cable TV, digital cable TV, and all-digital satellite TV. Do you prefer to know which of the TV system is best for you? Lets compare cable TV and satellite TV head-to-head here.
First, some general things about Cable TV and Satellite TV:
Cable TV & Digital Cable TV
It is obvious that the conventional cable TV are by far the least advanced. Compare to satellite TV, cable TV offers limited features to their customers. Hence, most cable companies now are pushing hard to acquire their customers on their digital systems in order to compete with satellite TV providers in the market. Digital cable television has many advantages over conventional cable. Through digital cable signals, consumers are able to acquire high-speed internet access and video on demand, as well as hundreds of cable channel options.
Satellite TV
Most of the features offered by digital cable TV are offered by satellite TV. Example? Major dish networks offer their own version of high-speed internet through broadband. DirecTV has DirecWay , and DISH Network has partnered with EarthLink to bring high-speed internet to their customers. Besides, satellite TV providers also offer electronic program guides, parental controls, and automated timers.
Here are major comparisons of cable TV and satellite TV:
Cable TV vs Satellite TV: Popularity
Both Cable TV and Satellite TV are popular. Although cable still is more popular overall, satellite TV has made large gains on cable TV. Equipment Cable TV systems require a cable to be installed from the network to your house. If your street has no cable you may need to wait a while before it is available in your area. Besides the cable you need a receiver. With digital services you need an additional box. Satellite TV requires a satellite dish, a receiver and a cable from the dish to your TV (no digging in your garden).
Cable TV vs Satellite TV: Reception Quality
Cable TV and satellite TV used totally different systems for signal transfering. Cable TV has analog channels and even though you could upgrade to digital services, analog channels would still be analog, meaning an frequently fuzzy picture. Satellite TV is completely digital, which gives you all the advantages of digital systems. really heavy rain or snow could obstruct reception briefly, but generally this happens really rarely. Reception quality is much better with Satellite TV.
Cable TV vs Satellite TV: Programming
Cable TV and satellite TV both served high quality programming channels. Cable TV could handle up to 260 channels. Satellite TV could handle more channels. Also, Satellite TV is more advanced in HDTV (High Definition Television) services.
Cable TV vs Satellite TV: Pricing
Pricing for cable TV and satellite TV have large differences. Satellite TV is less expensive than Cable TV due to many additional costs that are related to Cable TV: franchise fees, taxes, plus costs for any pay per view services, and equipment costs. Dish Network Programming Package starts at only $29.99 per month.
Cable TV vs Satellite TV: Interactive Services
In general Satellite TV has more interactive services than Cable TV. Digital services like Dish Network’s DVR (Digital Video Recorder) which gives the option to rewind while recording even in live broadcasts, EPG (Electronic Program Guide), Instant Weather, video on demand, etc. are all available on Satellite TV, but not all are available on Cable TV.
Cable TV vs Satellite TV: High Speed Internet
Cable has high speed broadband internet services. Satellite has this too, but is slightly slower. DirecTV: offers Direcway High Speed Internet, which is ultra fast but slightly expensive. Overall conclusion: Satellite TV is less expensive, has better picture quality (digital signal) and gives you more channels and programming options than cable TV.
