Cable vs. Satellite TV Which is Best?

Cable vs. Satellite TV Which is Best?

by: Brian Stevens

The move is on. Last year millions of Americans switched from cable TV to satellite TV.

Why? When you compare satellite TV to cable TV youกll discover the main reasons are cost, picture quality, program choices, and customer satisfaction.

Letกs check out the differences …

Cable vs. Satellite TV Fees

Cable TV fees across the country average $39.99 per month. In our area the cost for cable TV is $37.30 a month for 64 channels, plus $10.95 a month to add digital channels. Installation in one room is $39.95, plus $9.95 for each additional room.

Satellite TV fees from Dish Network are $31.99 per month for 60 channels, while DirecTV charges $41.99 per month for 115 channels. Both satellite TV providers currently offer free satellite TV equipment and free installation in up to four rooms.

Cable vs. Satellite TV Programming

Cable TV in most areas offers almost as many channels as satellite TV, and is broadcast in analog (overtheair) format. If you want to have digital picture and sound youกll have to pay an additional fee, usually $10 to $15 a month.

Satellite TV offers more channels than cable TV (more than 250 channels), and more HDTV (high definition TV) programming. All satellite TV channels are broadcast in digital format for the highest quality picture and sound.

Cable vs. Satellite TV Equipment

With cable you only need cable boxes that connect the incoming cable line to your televisions. There is usually no charge or rental fees for cable boxes, however, If you want a digital video recorder, youกll have to pay an extra fee.

With satellite TV you need a satellite TV dish and TV receivers. Both Dish Network and DirecTV offer that equipment, plus installation, for free. Dish Network will give you a DVR (digital video recording) receiver or an HDTV receiver at no charge, while DirecTV charges $49.99 for DVR receivers and $299 for HDTV receivers.

Cable and Satellite TV Reliability and Customer Satisfaction

Cable TV outages average 3% to 5% per year. J.D. Powers and Associates ranks cable companies as good to poor in customer satisfaction.

Satellite TV outages average about 1%. J.D. Power and Associates has ranked the two satellite TV providers Dish Network and DirecTV higher in customer satisfaction than any of the cable TV companies for the last five years

The Bottom Line

If you only watch a couple of shows a week, and you live in an area where you can’t get overtheair TV and cable TV costs less than $20 per month, then cable may be your best option.

If, on the other hand, you want the biggest variety of shows, movies, sports, and news for the least amount of money … you want to watch your all your shows in digital video and sound … and you want the option of watching them in HD format and recording them on a DVR receiver, then satellite TV is what you’re looking for.

About The Author

Brian Stevens is a professional freelance writer and webmaster who has written extensively on free satellite TV systems. For more information on free satellite TV systems go to: http://www.thesatellitetvguide.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 14

by Brian Stevens

Sirius Satellite Radio vs XM Satellite Radio – Wh

Sirius Satellite Radio vs XM Satellite Radio – Which Streams Should You Choose?

by: C. J. Gustafson

Just as many TV viewers have come to consider cable TV a life necessity, so too is satellite radio becoming a mainstream replacement for traditional AM/FM listening. Yes you have to pay for it, but just as with cable, you get way more channels and edgier, more innovative programming. Plus, you don’t lose your favorite station as you travel across the state or country. And satellite players show the artist and name of the song, which is definitely a plus for those who like to know what they’re listening to. In the U.S. there are just two main players in the satellite radio industry, Sirius and XM. WorldSpace, which has been broadcasting the longest and covers the most area, currently does not offer coverage in the United States. So with just two providers to pick from, one would think that the choice would be easy, but each has its own pluses and drawbacks and the decision usually comes down to budget and personal preferences.

How It Works

In 1992, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated a spectrum in the กSก band (2.3 GHz) for nationwide broadcasting of satellitebased Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS). Of the four companies that applied for licenses, only two were granted rights to broadcast; Sirius (formerly CD Radio) and XM (formerly American Mobile Radio). Each company has satellites in orbit above the earth to transmit their programming. Programs are beamed to one of the satellites, which then transmits the signal to the ground, where your radio receiver picks up one of the channels within the signal. Signals are also be beamed to ground repeaters for listeners in urban areas where the satellite signal can be interrupted.

In many ways, Sirius has set the tone for the industry, being the first to offer commercial free programming on all its music channels and has larger selection of receivers, adapters and other products. XM has a cheaper subscription fee, at least for its basic plan, which offers much the same fare as its competitor.

Both providers have partnered with automobile manufacturers to offer satellite radio in new car models. And each has systems that will search the channels for your favorite music and alert you when and where the songs are playing. Choosing between the two companies can be difficult since each has its advantages. Here is some information that may help listeners choose between the two.

XM Satellite Radio

XM satellite radio offers 68 commercialfree music channels, 33 news, sports, and talk & entertainment channels and 21 dedicated traffic and weather channels. XM is the exclusive satellite radio provider of FOX Sports Radio, Sporting News Radio and the worldกs only 24hour NASCAR Radio channel. It does not offer NFL programming.

Equipment

XM has several choices in equipment. For just under $120, you can get the Delphi XM Roady receiver. This complete package comes with a microantenna, cassette adaptor, 12V power adaptor, and a universal mounting bracket. For another $10, you can upgrade to the Roady2, proclaimed as the smallest satellite receiver available. In addition to the typical satellite radio features, it allows you to scroll up to 20 stock symbols and has 30 channel presets.

The Delphi XM SKYFi is a receiver with a more advanced display. It gives you more information about each song and the fiveline display lets you see whatกs playing on other XM channels before you switch. The SKYFi2, which costs $30 more, gives pause and play functions. It must be combined with an adaptor kit for home, vehicle or audio system. These adapters range from $70$100 in price.

Coming in November of 2004, the Delphi XM MyFi, touted as the worldกs first XM2go receiver, becomes available from XM. It comes with car kit, home kit, rechargeable battery, headphones, antennas and more for $349.99.

Sirius Satellite Radio

Sirius satellite radio offers 65 channels of commercial free music, plus more than 50 channels of great sports, news and entertainment programming. They are the only one of the two competitors to offer NFL coverage, including playbyplay action and pregame gab.

Equipment

Siruis offers a host of equipment options. Customers can choose from over 15 plug and play options. Average receivers sell for $99.95 and can be combined with a car or home adapter, or a choice of different boomboxes. For the same $99.95, the Sirius Sportster adds special features for the sports enthusiast such as Game Alert, which prompts you when your favorite NFL or other sports teams are playing and Game Zone, which lists all of the playbyplay games and scores on Sirius by league.

Or for $149.99 you can cover all your listening needs with the Sanyo CRSR10 Plug & Play System. It includes home and car kits for use at home, office, truck, RV, boat or car and antennas for home and car. It has 20 presets and a builtin wireless FM transmitter for use on all 100 FM frequencies. If a boombox is not your style, you can go with a home system that integrates with you existing audio equipment. Prices range from $250 up to $2000.

You can put a headunit in your car, throw in a tuner and antenna and you’re wired for satellite in your vehicle without the portable receiver and adapter. Sirius has over 15 headunits to choose from in prices ranging from under $200 to over $1000. Some of the more reasonably priced units come with CD players and removable fronts.

Comparisons

So in the world of XM vs Sirius, it’s a tough call and depends on your budget and listening preferences. The following satellite radio comparison summary consists of information taken directly from the websites of the two satellite radio companies.

Sirius Satellite Radio

Pricing

$12.99/month with annual & lifetime options available. Extra receivers for an additional fee.

Activation fee

$15 by phone, $10 online

Commercial free

All 65 music channels are commercial free

Online listening

Listen online for free. On any computer. With no extra fee.

NFL coverage

Live playbyplay coverage of every NFL game and the only 24/7radio channel dedicated to allthingsNFL, all year long.

Available in new cars

Exclusive car partners of Daimler Chrysler, BMW and Ford.

Customer service

24 hour Customer Care by toll free phone number and email.

XM Satellite Radio

Pricing

$9.99 basic package premium programming, such as Playboy and XM’s own High Voltage are available for an additional monthly fee, as are extra receivers.

Activation fee

$14.99 by phone, $9.99 online

Commercial free

All 68 music channels are commercial free

Costs an extra $3.99 a month.

NFL coverage

No playbyplay. No local NFL coverage. No original NFL programming.

Available in new cars

Exclusive car partner of GM.

Customer service

Customer Care is open 18 hours a day.

Satellite radio appears to be here to stay. The offerings keep getting better and the decision between the two keeps getting tougher. Equipment is available at store locations and websites of retailers like WalMart and Best Buy and through the providers’ websites. For static free, commercial free radio listening and your favorite stations wherever you go, satellite radio is the choice of millions. Installation and activation are easy. In fact the toughest decision may be deciding which provider to choose.

About The Author

C.J. Gustafson is a successful freelance writer for http://www.1stDishTV.net She frequently writes on topics such as satellite TV and car audio accessories. She vows her next car will come with a factory installed satellite radio.

Copyright 2004 1stDishTV.net

This article was posted on November 10, 2004

by C. J. Gustafson

The Premium Movie Channel Paradigm Could Soon Face

The Premium Movie Channel Paradigm Could Soon Face Extinction

by: Terry Mitchell

The article sent shockwaves throughout Wall Street, as the stock prices for both TiVo and Netflix shot up. Last September, a Newsweek article reported that TiVo and Netflix might be getting together to produce a true form of videoondemand (VOD). Last week, a Netflix official fueled this speculation by dropping hints about a potential joint venture. TiVo, the original and premier provider of digital video recorders (DVRs) in the U.S., would eventually provide instantaneous online access to the entire DVD library (currently more than 35,000 films) of Netflix, the nation’s number one mail order video rental service. This would be accomplished via a broadband internet connection to specially equipped TiVo DVRs. This development could also spell the beginning of the end for premium movie services like HBO, Showtime, and Starz.

First, let’s put all of this into perspective with a little history of the premium services. Home Box Office (HBO) was the first premium service, debuting in 1975. It was one of the first channels beamed from a satellite and carried by cable operators across the country. As its popularity grew in the late 1970’s, several other premium services like Showtime, Cinemax, The Movie Channel, as well as some lesser known premium services came into existence. The industry started consolidating in the early 1980’s as HBO bought Cinemax, Showtime bought The Movie Channel, and those lesser know services went bellyup. In the early 1990’s, the StarzEncore networks debuted to compete with the HBO and Showtime networks.

During the mid1990’s, as satellite services such as Directv and Dish Network debuted, the premium services began offering ขmultiplexedข channels, i.e., multiple channels of HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, The Movie Channel, and StarzEncore for the price of one. Unfortunately, the number of movie choices didn’t increase. Those services just began to air their same libraries of movies at different times on their various multiplexed channels. There are hundreds of movies at local video stores that have never played (and will never play) on the premium channels while there are a comparatively small number of others that have played on these channels thousands of times. That has always been the major weakness of the premium services. Multiplexing did not fix this problem.

Several market tests of VOD were conducted during the 1980’s and the early 1990’s but, because the technology was rather primitive, it did not catch on with consumers. By the late 1990’s, it finally seemed ready and lots of promises were made about the brave new world of VOD. The cable companies were talking about veritable online video stores, which were going to put Blockbuster, et al, out of business. Unfortunately, the reality of VOD has never lived up to its hype. The stuff the cable companies are currently passing off as VOD is nothing more than a glorified version of payperview or a DVR. For the most part, their VOD offerings aren’t any different from the stuff currently playing on the premium channels and/or on payperview. This is what I call ขfaux VOD.ข How lame!

Fortunately, led by the apparent impending TiVoNetflix undertaking, the landscape is about to change and a new era of genuine VOD is about to be ushered in. PCbased broadband VOD services like Cinemanow (www.cinemanow.com) and Movielink (www.movielink.com) have been up and running for several years and are about to broaden their offerings. In addition, SBC Communications and EchoStar Communications have already announced that they are teaming up to provide an onlinetoTV VOD service this year, while several similar phone companysatellite operator projects are still in the negotiations stage.

Also, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platforms, offering hundreds of television channels via a broadband internet connection to a TV settop box, will be coming online this year. One of the major features of these services will be advanced VOD technology. Microsoft has developed its own version of IPTV technology. See Microsoft’s website (www.microsolft.com/tv) for details. The nation’s two largest phone companies, Verizon and SBC, plan to utilize Microsoft’s technology in the rollout of their respective IPTV platforms later this year.

Not to be outdone, several smaller companies also plan to compete in the broadbandtoTV market. Akimbo Systems (www.akimbo.com) debuted its service last fall and is currently in the process of expanding. Similar ventures such as DAVETV (www.dave.tv), TimeShift TV, (www.timeshiftv.com), and VCinema (www.vcinema.com) plan to enter the market later this year. All of these companies plan to offer almost unlimited amounts of movies, TV shows, sports, specialty programming, and international programs via a settop box interface between a broadband connection and a TV set. This programming will be culled from the vast internet universe and made available for TV viewing. For a more detailed description of these services, see my related article entitled, ขThe Coming Television Revolution.ข

If nothing else, all of these developments should compel cable companies to offer a much more competitive form of VOD. Comcast, one of the leading cable providers and a partner with Sony in its recent purchase of the MGM movie library, is now in the process of rolling out its advanced VOD platform. The other cable companies are sure to be following suit real soon.

Meanwhile, the premium services have still been slogging along. The premium channel paradigm has long outlived its original usefulness and has only been able to hang around because of the lack of a good VOD system thus far. The only thing really going for the premiums right now is their awardwinning original programming; including series’ like ขThe Sopranosข, ขDead Like Meข, and ขSix Feet Under.ข Perhaps the premium services could morph into originalprogrammingonly services in order to survive. However, they’d have to seriously increase the number of series’ (and the number of episodes of each) they produce. Perhaps they could also carry longer and/or alternative versions of programs already aired on broadcast television and basic cable. In addition, they would have to find a way to lower their subscription rates. I’m not sure all of that would be feasible. One thing I do know for sure is that people would not continue to subscribe to the premium channels for their movie content once they could conveniently pull up virtually any movie or TV show they wanted, any time they wanted.

About The Author

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Hopewell, VA. He also serves as a political columnist for American Daily and operates his own website http://www.commenterry.com on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and wellbeing, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 01

by Terry Mitchell

Would You Like To Recieve Hundreds Of New Channels

Would You Like To Recieve Hundreds Of New Channels For Free?

by: Alex Porter

Your probably thinking, free? nothing is free right?

Wrong! This brings us to the idea of Satellite TV which iกm sure you know about through the dishes you see at your neighbourกs house or while your driving to the mall. Dishes have just about come up everywhere. Yesterday i was in a remote town where itกs difficult to locate a store unless you drive 20 miles into the city. However, i was surprised to see a satellite dish. They are just everywhere.

So why do you need a satellite dish?

Often we get bored with the same programmes that are offered to us as viewers through TV. When your watching tv and you want to see something new, you find out that youกve seen it already. The reruns on all shows has gotten so boring that we want something new. This is where satellite tv comes into play.

What will satellite tv bring to me that i dont have already?

The question you want to ask really is what doesn’t satellite tv have. TV gets boring after a while, we all know that. But often we like to relax and watch a good movie or something interesting. Thats why you need satellite TV. Having satellite TV installed in your home will mean that you can watch channels covering movies, sport, documentaries, adult and everything else you can name. Not only will you be able to watch channels in every language but you will be able to watch channels from every country in the world.

Find out more … http://www.installyoursat.com

About The Author

Alex Porter A well learned satellite expert in the field of Satellite TV and Home entertainment for 15 years.

This article was posted on August 20

by Alex Porter

Satellite v Cable: The Winner Is…

Satellite v Cable: The Winner Is…

by: Frederick Greystone

The Dish On Satellite TV Versus Cable TV

A fierce battle is carrying on between satellite TV and cable TV in America. While cable has lots of option with numerous providers, satellite also has lots of choices but only two providers – DishNetwork and DirectTV. The choice between the services is such a close call that it boils down to preference. Some cable fans quickly point out that satellite is a fairweather friend and some satellite fans boast of satellites versatility in channels. You be the judge and weigh each side.

In the United States, satellite TV subscribers have a choice between Direct TV and DishNetwork. Cable TV providers, on the other hand, are more abundant. Most cable subscribers choose either basic cable or digital cable. Digital cable has many more options than basic cable. Both satellite and cable hook up with DSL Internet service, HDTV, TiVo, parental control and other fun features. However, to get these services, youกll need extra equipment. Satellite TV scores one up on cable in this round: high definition reception automatically comes through satellite TV, whereas cable TV currently makes customers pay extra for this reception. This advantage will soon end once HD is mandatory on all new sets and all channels will come through HD. The timeline for this change in the United States is anticipated by the year 2007.

The more options the better, according to many subscribers. Satellite wins hands down in this arena, although cable undoubtedly carries lots of channels. Many fans of satellite TV believe its reception is crisper and love the fact you can interact with many channels. You can also watch a satellite sports channel and turn off the broadcaster or watch a sports event and leave out commercials. Cable TV may soon catch up since itกs trying out a few new interactive channels such as Time Warner Cableกs interactive games and sports news.

Cable TV doesn’t limit all you TVs to broadcasting the same channel on every TV. You can watch different channels on different TVs. This isn’t so easy to do with satellite TV. You need a separate receptor box to get a different reception than whatกs showing on a different TV. However, one receptor box can be hooked up to as many as 6 sets. The satellite TV providers are now offering these boxes for free rather than charging for additional boxes in the past. Even though cable TV comes through a cable line hooked up to your TV, cable seems to win in this department.

While weather can sometimes affect cable reception, a lot more can interfere with satellite TV signals. A satellite TV dish needs to be obstructionfree to the south of where itกs placed (reception of satellite TV comes from the South). Most subscribers have their dish located either on their roof or porch. While some homeowner associations and landlords try to ban this placement, homeowners and renters have FCC regulations on their side.

No one can say for sure whoกs winning in the battle between cable and satellite. The call appears very close. Whichever service you decide has more to do with your preference for one option or another since the costs even look close and the issues look pretty upfront. So, which side are you on?

About The Author

Copyright 2005 Frederick Greystone. All rights reserved.

Frederick Greystone is the owner of RGW Satellite Inc which one of the best resources for information on satellites on the internet. Be to take a look at his complete archive of articles: http://www.rgwsatellite.com/

This article was posted on August 16

by Frederick Greystone