Differences Between Satellite TV & Cable Television

Cable and satellite have been competing for over a decade trying to capture the American audience. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses that contribute to the overall impression of the consumer.

Cable television generally offers more channels than satellite. This is not the end of the story, however. The number of channels available varies greatly depending upon the customer's location within the US. A New York City apartment will have access to more channels than, say, a small town in Tennessee. satellite tv does offer a mountain of channels, but the customer has no say in which channels they want and don't want to receive and pay for. Contrastingly, satellite TV offers fewer channels, but still more than 200. These channels are available across the United States and the amount does not vary based upon the size of the town. What can vary is what kind of channels the customer wants to receive. Satellite offers packages geared toward more sports channels, children's programming or movie channels. One can personalize their package to suit their own preferences in television.

Features are an important aspect of television today. Viewers want to be able to interact with their TVs in a sense. Cable television often offers interactive program guides, parental controls and pay-per-view movies. Satellite usually offers a similar line-up of features, and sometimes even a few more. Both methods of television offer either digital or high definition channels, and are competitive for the most part concerning special offers and features.

Availability is another important issue. Cable television is not offered everywhere, as one needs to be hooked up to a cable line system. Most American cities offer cable. In satellite tv circumstances, however, suburban towns and outlying areas from cities cannot receive cable. For these people, satellite is the only option. Satellite can be received just about anywhere in the country because it does not depend upon lines, but rather microwave signals from a satellite. On the other hand, those who own condos or townhouses may not have the option of satellite television because the dish requires an exterior wall on which to be mounted. This area is a toss-up between the two. Satellite is available to everyone, but impractical for some. Cable is available only to those in cities, but is practical where satellite is not.

Both cable and satellite have their pros and cons. Both offer features that the other does not, and have problems which the other does not. These issues seem to balance the options out making it the consumer's decision as to which one is best for that individual. Their amenities and downfalls make it too difficult to place one as objectively superior to the other.

Direct TV currently offers more HD channels then any other television provider. Their High Definition options include one of the best HD-DVR receivers on the market. The Direct TV HD package includes some of the most popular channels across all platform including the NFL Network, Discovery, History Channel and over a hundred more. Cable and Dish Network don't even come close to their HD package.