Dish Network vs. Cable
There's a battle going on between Cable TV and Dish Network.
Many people wonder what the best choice really is. The best
choice may lay in these factors:
Popularity
Both Cable TV and Dish Network are popular. Although cable still
is more popular overall, satellite TV has made huge gains on
cable TV.
Equipment
Cable TV systems require a cable to be installed from the
network to your house. If your street has no cable you may need
to wait a while before it is available in your area. Besides the
cable you need a receiver. With digital services you need an
additional box. Dish Network requires a satellite dish, a
receiver and a cable from the dish to your TV (no digging in
your garden).
Reception Quality
Cable TV has analog channels and even though you can upgrade to
digital services, analog channels will still be analog, meaning
an often fuzzy picture. Dish Network is completely digital,
which gives you all the advantages of digital systems. Very
heavy rain or snow can obstruct reception briefly, but generally
this happens very rarely. Reception quality is much better with
Satellite TV.
Programming
Here it gets really interesting. Cable TV can handle up to 260
channels. Dish Network can handle more channels. Also, Dish
Network is more advanced in HDTV (High Definition Television)
services.
Pricing
Usually Satellite TV is less expensive than Cable TV due to many
additional costs that are related to Cable TV: franchise fees,
taxes, plus costs for any pay per view services, and equipment
costs. Dish Network Programming Package starts at only $29.99
per month.
Interactive Services
In general Dish Network has more interactive services than Cable
TV. Digital services like Dish Network's DVR (Digital Video
Recorder) which gives the option to rewind while recording even
in live broadcasts, EPG (Electronic Program Guide), Instant
Weather, video on demand, etc. are all available on Satellite
TV, but not all are available on Cable TV.
High Speed Internet
Cable has high speed broadband internet services. Satellite TV
has this too, but is somewhat slower. Directv