Compare Satellite TV

Whats the best deal on Satellite TV?

It is still amazing to me that there are still people in this country that have not made the switch from cable to digital with the relentless barrage of advertising by the 2 mega giants in the satellite business. With DIRECTV and Dish network battling it out in the family rooms across America there are apparently still millions of people that are satisfied with the overpriced underserviced cable industry, a relic of a past long gone.

So if the decision has been made to switch to the digital era what is a consumer suppose to do? What is the difference, is one actually any better then the other? Will I actually get any better service then cable? We’ll fortunately for you, we are here

I have had experience as a cable installer and digital TV installer for 3 years and have seen the equipment and the software on all the major companies and can tell you that it basically comes down to the channel choice your want. There is basically one A&E channel and whether you watch it on DIRECTV or dish is irrelevant. First you need to put together your wish list for channels. What do you want to watch?

Then check out each company with an eye to frequent specials and equipment costs. It can sometime s be dizzying to make a choice when they have 8 different HD receivers so if you are digitally illiterate this is a good time to enlist the help of a friend. Some HD receivers are simply that, receivers, while others store up to 50 hours of HD quality TV for later viewing much like a TiVo unit which in my opinion is one of the sweetest inventions ever devised.

Something also to consider and has always been a thorn in my side is the lock in period or commitment that some companies require. Some are 1 year some 2 years. While granted that 99% of people never switch out I think it is still on principle I have a problem with it. The sales person on the phone tried to convince me with there quality guarantee and I responded if there quality was unsurpassed there would be no need to lock a customer in for 2 years, they would gladly stay with the company. silence

As far as installation is concerned it is almost identical equipment unless you are going with a combo internet service, or international channel option. In that case either 2 dishes are installed or a slightly larger, wider dish that can capture the signal from a different satellite. A installer will come out and determine the best line of sight for your dish and in most cases place the dish on the roof.

If you live in a wooded area you should probably do a line of sight check yourself first to make sure you have a clear shot to the sky. I have been to many installation in rural areas where a house is surrounded by 200 foot trees and installation was impossible. We have installed on fence posts and even staked posts out in the middle of an open spot just to get the customer TV.

The smaller dishes that digital TV use are susceptible to weather conditions unlike c band dishes which will receive through a typhoon. So if you are looking forward to your favorite stories and a thunderhead is moving in you may be out of luck for an hour. Snow does not play large of a part unless they are heavy snow clouds but they generally pass also. Just make sure that if you are in a hi wind area not to place the dish out as if it loses position a service call will be required.

A second consideration is how many people in your household will be watching the unit. Do you need multiple receivers in different rooms? There will be additional costs involved for additional equipment usually charged on a monthly basis and premium channels add to the cost also, so once you start ala carte items you bill will start to climb and can easily hit 80-90 dollars a month.

While that seems like a lot you need to factor a few items in….the cost of you current cable bill, what you get for that fee, what you will be getting on the new system and the entertainment value it presents to you and your family. To be totally honest when I had digital and the TiVo combination I don’t think there was ever a better entertainment package. I could record and program any series to be recorded, it would store 30 hours of TV for me, i could fast forward through commercials and the quality was unsurpassed. So if you are looking to compare satellite TV do your due diligence and make a choice to enter into the digital age today