Untangling The Mess Between Satellite and Cable Providers
Don Miller

Our TV cable bill was way out of hand to say the least. We started out paying $39.95 per month for service and then it was above $150 when I accidentally found out about it! I attribute this to a slow but sure hike in prices and services that my spouse just couldn't resist. She usually pays the bills and keeps them out of my sight. Well, we now have one checkbook and it is in my possession. The sheriff returned and cancelled paid television service and returned our family to rabbit ears! This lasted a week before I had to give in and promise the family that I would at least look at alternatives. Besides, I couldn't get the most important channel of them all (ESPN). I just wasn't prepared for the hype that I was going to have to experience in order to evaluate getting basic cable service or putting in a satellite dish.

Aren't you tired of those ads on television in which the cable television industry and satellite dish providers trash each other? Is either telling the truth? Let's face it; I doubt very seriously that the cable company shows up every month at your home to collect your payment with a lot of pigs attacking your home and leave while chewing on your money. However, they had been charging what I thought was an exurbanite price. And how about someone barbecuing in their back yard using their satellite dish to store the coals on which to cook, implying that this is what everyone ends up doing with their satellite dish. How ridiculous and absurd can you get. Can't both sides find better ways to advertise? Why don't they just try telling the truth for a change? I don't think that anyone believes these ads! But if there are consumers who believe this kind of propaganda, then they must also believe that Al Gore invented the internet.

After listening to pitches from both sides, all I could think of was the early days of television that existed when I was growing up. This era of course was represented by black and white sets and rabbit ears. The two stations that we picked up only had programming at night. You probably don't remember this but let me assure that dinosaurs had been extinct for some time. Seriously, we have become dependent on television over the last forty years to provide entertainment, news, advice, educational topics, information and more. It started out as free media for our consumption paid for by advertising. Now, we have to pay to enjoy most of these features. Therefore, we have gone from primitive analog television signals to digital signals and high definition for those consumers who can afford it. We are now a society that is dependent on television for many things that are essential to our daily lives. But cable subscription services seem to be getting more expensive which gets back to the issue of which source (cable or satellite) provides the best service and best value.

We had never used satellite services. Therefore, I didn't know if it worked? I decided to do research and find out the truth for myself which I will share with you here. The following quote is indicative of what I found:

A recent JD Power study recently rated DIRECTV® and Dish Network higher in customer satisfaction than all major cable companies. Either DIRECTV® or Dish Network has been awarded the top service honors for past 5 years.

This report also stated that the satellite providers provide true digital signals. Most cable companies offer analog and digital signals. My old provider charged additionally for what they called the digital tier which excluded all the channels for the major networks. No wonder the local news sometimes had waves across the screen. Furthermore, this report stated that the satellite providers had mastered HDTV technology and the cable companies had not achieved this important standard.

At this point I had basically made up my mind. But how much was it going to cost? Will I have to buy equipment? Well, the answer was I didn't have to buy equipment and I now get better reception for a fraction of the cost. Also, the satellite companies offered more features which we could afford. If you want to compare your service, here are a couple of sites to visit:

http://www.vmcsatellite.com/?aid=201526

http://www.dishpronto.com/a.pl?12818

We have now switched to satellite television service and love it. The proof is always in the pudding and I am glad that I did the research and shopping. And when the cable piggies came to collect the the next bill, we had a barbecue! The only downside to this happy ending is the whole family now wants a new High Definition television so they can get the maximum picture quality available from a true digital signal.

Well, here I go again. Maybe I can use the savings we enjoy by swapping to satellite to pay for the television!



About the author:

Don Miller is an experienced consultant for information technology with over 30 years of experience. He specializes in internet and communication techologies.