Should an individual invest in Satellite TV?
The development of satellite TV as an alternative to cable TV has gained momentum only in the past two decades. Since satellite TV has beefed up channel lineups and made improvements in technology, many a household has switched to satellite TV. Nevertheless, is satellite TV indeed superior to cable for the majority of individuals? Satellite TV comes with several factors that one would have to look at to determine whether it is worth investing in.
Channel Selection
Based on this analysis, satellite TV has a long list of merits, with one of the significant benefits being the availability of numerous channels. Satellite providers offer several channels, which can range in the hundreds, most of which are broadcast with programming. Typically, satellites will always provide more programming choices compared to the utmost cable offerings. This makes it attractive to those who prefer many of the specialized streams provided in the current market. There is more food and sports, movies, and other specialty programming available with satellite for the foodies, the sports fan, the movie-goer, or the watcher of specialty programming.
However, it is necessary to add that the Channel selection factor is not the only key principle here. You may have access to 500 channels with satellite, although you end up utilizing only 25 of them. Before doing so, it is advisable to find out which channels one currently watches to determine whether the satellite provider offers most or all of them. The sheer number of channels does not work in this case if the channels that she wants to watch are not available.
Cost
Over the years, satellite TV has been more popular because of the lower fees compared to cable. However, when making a comparison of channel selections satellite offers and the same price range cable packages satellite does have more to offer. That said, newer cable packages have emerged in recent years provided by cable providers that have brought the prices back down almost in line with satellite. Most reliable cable operators currently have affordable and stripped-down packages with only the most essential channels, and therefore their cheapest packages are fairly priced compared to the least expensive satellite TV packages.
While seeking the cost for satellite, one has to be very careful with what they find written on the bill. Many products that are launched with what appear to be credible rates to attract customers quickly increase their prices in the following year. Early termination charges apply in case you decide to change your provider in the middle of your contract as well. It is also important to note additional charges, such as the HD service and the cost of renting a DVR, which can also accumulate every month. Satellite still provides a reasonable option in terms of the price to the customer, but cable companies have been providing even better offers in the recent past.
Availability and Installation
Thus, one possible weakness of satellites is that they may not be available everywhere. DTH signals need an unobstructed view of the southern sky and, as such, do not work in certain areas such as the mountains or the northern hemisphere. Also, most of the apartment’s residents are confined to buildings hence they cannot get access to a balcony or roof for the installation of a satellite dish. Make sure your place is among the serviceable areas before you go for satellite TV.
Satellite is a little more complicated than cable and if you are in an area where you receive satellite signal, then you are in for a bit of a challenge. It is however important to note that the general process of running the wiring from the satellite dish to the TV and positioning of the dish does involve some level of technical help. The cost of this unit may vary from $100-200, or even more, including the installation. They also could face challenges with getting approval if they live in a rented house. Even if you have to pay for installation and obtain permission to put up a satellite dish on your rental home, the cable might appear to be the less complicated choice.
Weather Interference
This is one of the reliability issues of cable; it is not affected by the weather conditions in the environment. The satellite signal is hinged on the ability to send programming data from satellites in outer space to the ground without interference. That being the case, you are likely to experience some signal interruption resulting from rain, snow, or wind, albeit for a short period. Satellites are much better than before and there is no disruption due to storms but sometimes the image gets distorted or the signal is lost. In cases where customers may require local channels at all times with no disappointments, then cable could be more advisable.
On the other hand, satellite disruptions are often only for a short period or are limited in their scope. Fortunately, once the rain stops, the service continues without interruption because satellites are not influenced in the same way. Satellite providers let through local broadcast channels for instance important news coverage will still be relayed. For all of its drawbacks, many customers would never turn away from satellite TV because minor weather interferences occurring a few days per year are still balanced out by the positives. However, for customers residing in such areas that are prone to storms, this factor ought to be considered.
Sports and Local Programming
If the availability of regional sporting events is a consideration it is, — satellite and cable do differ in this aspect. What it does do is let you purchase things like the MLB Extra Innings or the NHL Center Ice to watch out-of-market games. Still, most satellite services bring in limited packages of regional sports networks that air your local MLB, NBA, NHL, and other franchises. Compared to cable, this system usually offers better access to these RSNs which are important for tracking your home teams.
Satellite generally only makes local community channels unavailable, just as cable does not always offer local services. Some news such as community announcements, political and other happenings in society and high school sports are more prevalent on cable. No other media can provide powerful ties to your regional groups and hometown events, and that is where cable reigns supreme. Finally, satellite highlights more of the generic programming across the nation.
DVR and HD
Cable and satellite also provide modern-day DVR as a facility to record shows and watch at a desired time. The general structure, storage capability, and connections of the two are somewhat dissimilar; however, the two are not very dissimilar. High-definition programming is also provided as the norm on both satellite and cable since many channels have adopted high-definition format. Additional options such as re-watching live TV content from the start or using a smart device to stream the content are also supported by both Prodigy and Suddenlink. The current flexibility of programs that allow people to see the programs of their choice whenever they want has put satellite and cable on par.
All in all, satellite does prove to be the better choice of the two for many and this implies that those who have Cable should consider changing over to satellite. The variety of channel options, affordable prices, and the constant enhancement of services in the satellite industry strengthen the argument in favor of switching from cable to satellite. However, satellite is not perfect for everyone and does not offer the same value as cable. However, because of accessibility problems, initial costs of installation, susceptibility to severe climate changes, and lack of local content preference, cable is preferable to some households. Consider the positives and the negatives before actually determining whether a satellite is worth it for your entertainment. Advancement in technology has bridged the gap between the two systems and at the moment satellite and cable are almost similar in most ways. However, identifying the amount and type of personal needs for the sports, community news, and channels that are important for you, identifies which of the options indicates the better value.
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