Satellite TV vs Cable TV
The long raging battle between cable and satellite tv is still going as strong as ever.
Is there a winner you ask? Well we are very happy to inform you that yes, there is finally a winner in the battle of television services.
More than 27 million households have now switched from cable and over-the-air TV to satellite TV.
Why? Well when you compare satellite TV to cable TV side by side, you'll discover the biggest reasons are cost, picture quality, program choices, and customer satisfaction.
Satellite TV vs Cable TV Side By Side Comparison
Feature
|
Satellite TV
|
Cable TV
|
Average Fee
For Basic Programming
|
$31.99 per month
|
$39.95 per month
|
Local Channels
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Equipment
|
One satellite TV dish and up to 4 receivers
|
Cable boxes
|
Installation Fee
|
Free
|
Price varies
|
Channels
|
Up to 350
|
Average is 180
|
Sports Packages
|
Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, and ESPN
|
No
|
All-Digital Picture
and Sound
|
Yes
|
No
|
Satellite radio
|
Up to 73 channels
|
Varies
|
DVR
(Digital Video Recorder)
|
Free
|
Price varies
|
HDTV
(High Definition TV)
|
Optional
|
Optional
|
International Programming
|
African, Arabic, Armenian, Asian, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, South Asian, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu
|
Varies
|
Pay-Per-View
Movies and Events
|
80 channels
|
Average is
40 channels
|
Subscription Fee
|
Price decreased
|
Price increased
|
Parental Controls
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Internet Service
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Customer Satisfaction Ranking
|
Top ranked
|
Varies
|
Equipment
|
Leased
|
Leased
|
Installation Time
|
1 to 5 days
|
1 to 5 days
|
As You Can See - Satellite TV Is The Obvious Winner
The two main satellite providers are DIRECTV and DISH NETWORK.
They both have their strengths and weaknesses, so to find out which one is right for you, do check out our in depth side by side comparison of DIRECTV and DISH NETWORK
Satellite TV vs Cable TV - More Information
Cost:
While satellite TV rates have been coming down in recent years due to competition between satellite TV providers, cable rates have increased an average of 8.2% a year. The current cost for the least expensive satellite TV program package is $19.99 per month versus an average of $39.99 for cable TV
In our area basic cable costs $37.30 a month for 64 channels, plus $10.95 a month to add a few digital channels. Installation in one room is $39.95, plus $9.95 for each additional room.
Compare that to $29.99 a month for 100 of DISH Network's all-digital program channels, plus free installation in up to four rooms and a free DVR (digital video recorder), and you can see why so many people have switched to satellite TV.
Quality:
Satellite TV gives you a 100% digital picture and sound, versus cable TV which uses outdated analog (over-the-air) technology.
Some cable companies advertise digital programming, but upon further inspection you'll find they charge extra for this service and offer only a few digital channels. DISH Network and DIRECTV broadcast all of their programs in digital format.
Program Choices:
Satellite TV offers more channels than cable TV - up to 350 channels. It also offers more movies, more sports programs, more international programming, and more HD (high definition) programming than cable TV.
Reliability:
Cable companies will have you believe that Satellite TV reception cuts out in bad weather. But that is completely false, and you will find that Satellite TV outages average way less than 1% compared to cable TV at 3%-5%.
Customer Satisfaction:
J.D. Power and Associates has ranked the two major satellite TV providers - Dish Network and DIRECTV - higher in customer satisfaction than any of the cable TV companies for the last five years.
Are You Convinced Yet?
If so then you can either go ahead and take a look at DIRECTV or DISH NETWORK.
They both have their strengths and weaknesses, so to find out which one is right for you, do check out our in depth side by side comparison of DIRECTV and DISH NETWORK
