People have long compared satellite TV to cable, but with the advent of digital cable, the comparison has gotten more difficult. If you’re in the market for a new TV system, you will probably want to look into both digital cable and satellite TV before deciding which is best for you.
How Satellite TV Works
Satellite TV systems are composed of satellite dishes and satellite receivers.
The satellite dish is mounted on the roof of the building (usually a home, but also possibly an apartment building or office), and the satellite receiver is connected to the television. In the past, satellite dishes were freestanding and had to be adjusted to pick up different signals, but nowadays, satellite dishes have become smaller and are usually mounted in a fixed position, aimed at a particular satellite.
The dish sends signals to the receiver, which then displays the picture on the television.
The biggest benefit of satellite television is the wide variety of channels it provides. In addition to regular programming, satellite offers specialty channels on just about any topic you can imagine—fishing, golf, fashion, home improvement, food, movies, music and much, much more.
The main disadvantage of satellite is that a separate receiver is required for each TV, and dish receivers can be expensive. Also, the signal can be interrupted during storms and other weather phenomena.
How Digital Cable Works
Unlike satellite, digital cable does not require a dish. Like satellite, however, it does require a receiver box that is connected to the TV.
Cable receivers tend to be smaller and cheaper than satellite receivers, so it’s easier and more convenient to run them to different TVs. Also, while a satellite dish’s signal can only be split to two receivers, digital cable can be run to numerous televisions in the same house.
HDTV receivers, when combined with high-definition televisions, take digital cable to the next level of clarity.
The main advantage of digital cable is that it doesn’t require a dish, and because the signals are run through wires, interference is virtually unheard of. The disadvantage of digital cable is that the number of channels doesn’t quite rival satellite, though this is likely to change soon at the rate digital cable options are growing.