Satellite TV Versus Cable TV

Choosing the right choice for your home TV can be really tricky. People see all the online advertisement about Cable TV, and about satellite TV and every advertisement claim that its publisher offer best service, and best price. As such, it is very hard for consumers to know what is really the best in terms of quality, and price.

Current cable television customers know the reality of cable all too well: the bills keep getting bigger and the service keeps getting poorer.

Cable subscribers around the country are subject to constant rate hikes and some of the worst customer service of any industry in existence today. Two or three cable companies have a virtual monopoly on the market, and they seem oblivious to widespread dissatisfaction with their product, pricing, and support. Between taxes, monthly subscription fees, and equipment rental charges, cable subscribers are consistently paying far too much for the quality of the service they receive.

Satellite TV offers an alternative to these frustrations. With most retailers offering free installation, you can start enjoying satellite TV for as low as $24.99 a month! What's more, the satellite dish and receiver are yours to keep, so you won't need to pay a monthly rental charge or worry about returning the equipment if you move.

Satellite TV delivers 100% digital audio and video. Despite the incredible distance that the signal must travel before it reaches your television, the end result is still crystal clear and equal to any digital cable picture! As long as you have an unobstructed view of the southern sky, the only threat to the quality of your signal is very heavy rain or snow, which can occasionally interfere with reception. If you live in an area with frequent severe weather, you can always get a slightly larger dish to offset the interference.

But what about service? Not surprisingly, satellite TV wins there as well. The proof is in a study conducted by the respected research firm JD Power and Associates, which compared customer satisfaction with satellite TV providers and all the major cable companies. The results were clear -- both Direct TV and Dish Network received the highest possible scores in almost every category, including reliability, cost, and customer service. In contrast, the major cable companies' scores were not even close.

For expatriates, students, language buffs, and others, satellite TV is a great way to receive foreign-language programming. Both Direct TV and Dish Network offer foreign channels, though Dish Network currently has a greater selection of language choices, including Arabic, Russian, Korean and many others; VOOM does not currently offer any foreign channels. If you want to receive foreign programming, you will need to purchase a separate satellite dish, which must be aimed at different satellite than your standard dish.

From our experience, cable customers have one single advantage. They are always sure that they will get acceptable quality. If the company connects you with a cable, the signal certainly going to reach your home. However, if you use satellite TV, the signal quality depends on your location.