Satellite Television Offers More Choices Than Cable

The Basics Of Satellite Television

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Satellite television service is rapidly becoming a fierce competitor in providing quality entertainment viewing for consumers today. Satellites feed digitally broadcast transmissions to the viewer’s personal satellite dish, and transmission is fed to the television set by a receiver box connected to the television. Unlike the first bulky satellite dishes put in use, today’s dishes are compact and satellite television may now easily be used by 98% of all residences.

What are the Differences between Satellite Television and Cable Programming?

A southern facing dish outside of the home or apartment picks up satellite broadcasts; inside, a receiver box captures the transmissions, and feeds them to the TV. Satellite television provides many more channels, as well as high definition television (HDTV) choices than cable. It also offers many options not available with standard cable like: interactive video recording, pause and rewind of live broadcasts, parental controls, electronic program guides, direct pay-per view ordering, personalized weather updates and video on demand. The consumer owns the satellite dish and receiver box(es).

Access to cable television is limited in rural areas because it is a hard-wire and landline based option, as opposed to the wireless mode of satellite television. A cable box is leased from the service provider and hooked up directly to the television; broadcasts are fed through cable lines. Reception is generally analog and lower quality than digital satellite television transmissions. Some providers offer upgrades to digital service, but that again depends on locality, and only a small number of the channels are truly digital. Basic cable services come standard with local TV broadcasts and digital cable may offer pay-per-view options and high-speed internet access (DSL) access.

Pros and Cons of Satellite Television

Advantages of satellite television include high-quality digital picture resolution, as well as more choices in specialty programming, sports and movies. Receiver boxes are now available that also allow viewing of one program while recording another. Currently satellite television is quite affordable; both of the two providers, DIRECTV and DISH Network have special offers for upfront equipment purchases, or “pay as you go” plans with service contract.

However, local programming costs extra and in some areas, may not be an option; in those areas, antennas must be used to pick up local signals. In most cases, a separate receiver box is needed for each television in the home, another added expense. Poor weather conditions such as heavy rain, snow or trees can also interfere with satellite television transmission, but estimated system downtime is around 1% - still less than that of cable (3-5%).

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