When it comes to their television watching, Americans are not known to idly sit by when choosing a service provider. Television is an American pastime, right up there next to football and celebrity gossip, so making a choice between satellite and cable is akin to deciding what car to buy right down to the nitty gritty details. While this might not require being at a dealership for ten hours going back and forth between the salesman and the elusive finance guy, it may necessitate staying on the phone for hours at a time making sure the college football package is secured with two DVRs to record it by
Simply ask any group of average Americans which provider they use in their own homes, satellite or cable, and you might as well be asking their stance on the war in Iraq with the diverse types of reactions you get. Some will answer they would rather have no television at all than put an unsightly satellite on their roof while others will denounce cable for its lack of digital channels. With this in mind, let us explore cable television first
Cable Television Pros
*Bundling of services – In our modern world where we love to consolidate loans and bills and pay online rather than sending checks every month, bundling the three major services of digital television, phone service and high-speed internet into one bill has become increasingly attractive. Cable television has spearheaded this concept and some have even started to throw cell phone service into the mix. Satellite providers have quickly followed suit, but as of now this is more often the norm with cable television providers
*Localized – Cable television provides local stations as standard, unlike many satellite providers which often require a small fee for adding local stations into the lineup.
*No satellite – You might be thinking, duh, of course there is no satellite with a cable provider, so why is this a strength? One reason it counts as a pro is that many apartment management companies do not allow their tenants to hook up satellites on their balconies, thereby making cable the only alternative. Also, in general, there are many consumers who would rather not install a satellite on their roof for fear it may look tacky. On a personal note, when my husband and I opted for a satellite provider in our neighborhood, our homeowner’s association had very strict guidelines as to where we could actually install our satellite so that it would not appear unsightly to neighbors and passersby.
*On demand programming – Cable providers and customers love the on-demand feature which allows customers to watch, for instance, an entire season of a television show they might have missed when they choose to do so.
Cable Television Cons
*Reliability – Those consumers who opt for cable love to talk about how unreliable satellite service is when, say, a storm hits. The reality is that according to one respected rating company, one satellite provider averaged less than one percent of outages while its cable counterparts averaged much higher at three to five percent.
*Digital and DVR extra – By default, cable is broadcast in analog, so if you want digital cable, you will need to pay anywhere up to $15 or $20 to upgrade. The same goes for digital video recording (DVR). Should you wish to utilize this feature, you will need to not only upgrade to digital television, but you will also be paying a $5 to $15 monthly fee on top of that for the use of one DVR in your home.
Satellite Pros
*Affordability – In general, a consumer’s dollar will go a longer way with satellite than it will with cable. While cable packages usually start around $40 a month without the digital upgrade, an equivalent satellite package (all digital) could start as low as $20 a month. In addition, many satellite companies offer a free DVR as part of their initial setup package, so the consumer is not left to pay any extra monthly DVR fees on top of their normal bill.
*Channels galore – With cable television, there is usually a standard lineup of channels based on which package you pick. On the other hand, with satellite providers, there are several extra packages you can add to your lineup from sports packages to movie packages to international channel packages.
*Goes where cable does not – When my parents moved out to the boonies a few years ago, there was no cable provider where they lived; their only choice was to go with a satellite provider. Anywhere you choose to go on earth, if you desire, you can bring your satellite television with you.
*Simple start-up – With satellite, there is the option of purchasing the equipment and setting it up yourself without having to wait for days or even weeks for the cable guy to come set it up for you.
*HDTV – Satellite is known to offer more high-definition television stations than its cable counterparts.
Satellite Cons
*Local stations extra – Local stations are not usually standard with satellite service. If you choose to add the local station bundle to your standard lineup, you can expect to pay about $5 extra a month.
*Satellite dish may pose problem – As mentioned earlier, many homeowner associations and apartment companies have issues with installing a satellite dish that can be seen by others which is not a problem you will face with choosing a cable providers.
In the end, the decision to go with satellite or cable is a big one that must be researched extensively. Largely, which provider you choose depends on the type of television watcher you are. Make a list of channels you wish to watch on a regular basis and underline those channels you cannot live without. Explore your options thoroughly and choose wisely.
Steven M. Bornstein recently issues a 
