Gone are the days when the options for TV service provision were limited. Now, we have so many options chief of which are satellite and cable television. While there may be arguments from supporters of either option based on their experience, it is important to make the choice based on facts. We’ll take a look at a number of important aspects of television and see how the two compare.
- Cost
It is important to live within your means and get value for your money, so we started with a cost comparison. Basic cable costs are about $30 each month. Considering all the extra benefits of satellite TV, you will get 200 channels for about the same price.
In fact, a quick comparison of a cable TV package and satellite TV package showed that cable TV’s most affordable package has 45+ channels for $35 per month, while satellite TV has 55+ channels for $20 per month. You can even call directv or your satellite TV Company to negotiate a better deal by adjusting the number and kind of channels.
- Channels
We would all like to get the most out of our money and so it is important to see which option gives you more for less. Cable TV providers are limited in their reach and customer base and this clearly shows on the number and variety of channels.
Satellite TV, on the other hand, has customers across and outside the country. This results in them having more channels and a greater variety of packages to suit each user’s needs.
With regard to international channels, cable TV has a few which are US-based. Satellite TV has the upper hand here offering international channels straight from their countries. This appeals greatly to immigrants who want to know what’s really happening at home.
Sports channels are another critical determinant for which TV service to choose. With digital TV, you get more sports channels with greater variety than you would with cable TV. That’s for all you sports fans out there!
- Picture Quality
Here, satellite wins hands down. It has the sharpest and clearest resolution in the market today. Look at it this way, high resolution viewing begins at 720 lines. Satellite TV comes in 1080 lines of resolution which is essentially Blu-Ray quality. So you get HD TV all day every day. Now that’s impressive.
- Availability
If you are in the rural areas then you can pretty much forget about getting cable TV. Its coverage is limited to homes within the provider’s coverage area. Alternatively, satellite TV can be accessed practically anywhere in the country. All you need to do is have the dish face south and you’re good to go.
- Installation
Cable TV requires that an expert does the installation for you and if you want more than basic cable, you may need to purchase a cable box and remote from your service provider. This is part of the set-up fee that could range from $30 – $100.
You can install satellite TV yourself as long as the dish faces south. Most dealers have top of the range gadgets which are often free of charge, and you don’t have to pay any activation or set-up fee.
Clearly, satellite TV beats cable in every important way. So now I hope your choice is clear.
