Practically Speaking, Should I Order Satellite TV or Cable TV?

Practically speaking, some deals sound better than they are—at least for you, the individual subscriber.  It is a well known fact that satellite TV is cheaper than cable TV.  That’s not just hyperbole, that’s because cable TV operates by a different business model than satellite TV does.  Cable TV companies have larger infrastructures than satellite television.  They are subject to more local government taxes than satellite providers.  Furthermore, cable TV caters to city audiences that are nearby the company headquarters.  That means that when it comes down to numbers, cable TV has more subscribers than satellite TV—which means they can afford to be more expensive.

Satellite TV can not only afford to be cheaper than cable, but can also provide more channels for less money.  Ideally, satellite TV sounds terrific and would probably defeat cable once and for all—if not for some difficult circumstances that affects a moderate population of TV viewers.  First of all, you have to remember that satellite TV is not always available in apartment complexes.  Some apartment landlords may have exclusive deals with cable providers and may not allow that option.  Other landlords (or owning companies that communicate with a landlord) may allow satellite TV only if no damage to the apartment will result from placing the satellite.  Unfortunately for many people, this forbids installing satellite dishes on ceilings.  Therefore, in order to get satellite TV a resident who lives in an apartment complex with lots of trees and tall buildings may have to install the satellite in a yard or perhaps choose cable over satellite technology.

On the other hand, if a resident lives in a rural territory a good distance away from the city and most cable companies, then he or she may have no choice but to sign up with satellite TV.  Remember, cable companies only offer cable to residents that are within a certain distance from the main headquarters.  Satellite TV only requires communication between the dish and the geostationary orbiting satellite, meaning a clear view of the southern sky.

If you want telephone and Internet connectivity in addition to cable you may find that ordering either cable or satellite TV to be more convenient, as some companies group together all bills into one fee, while others may try and set you up with a third party service.  Practically speaking, a combined bill is more convenient—nevertheless, it’s all about the combined price, isn’t it?

The best thing to do is to contact your satellite TV provider and ask about availability at your address.  Most companies will offer to come out and survey the area to let you know if the technology will work for your location.  Understand that they may need to go ahead and charge a setup fee, or at least start membership, to justify their expense.  However, if they are unable to establish a satellite connection in your area, they will refund all of your investment.

Satellite TV has more channels at a lesser price.  By all means, if you are able, check on satellite TV’s availability.