It’s 2021 and the world has moved on from watching cable television to now streaming their favorite shows and movies on Streaming sites. No doubt streaming giants — like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney — hold the greater chunk of the media industry; users prefer to watch these mediums as opposed to flicking through TV channels in their spare time. It has also made television mobile, meaning users can watch their movies and TV series on their smartphones, tablets, and laptops other than on a TV. But there are some households where you might just find satellite TV.
Satellite TV may be considered a legacy technology but there are still some providers that offer these services to a now niche customer segment. So where would you find the best satellite TV deals in the US?
Easy, there are just two providers in the entire country: DISH and DIRECTV. The question is which one is better, and that can only be answered depending on what matters more to the customer – the price or the combination of channels available.
DISH vs. DIRECTV
Both satellite companies offer 2-year contracts upon subscription to their services but the prices and terms do differ. The prices for DISH packages range between $64.99 to $139.99 whereas DIRECTV packages range from $64.99 to $134.99 – with a catch. Prices for DIRECTV packages are known to almost double in the second year of their contracts.
As for what the channel lineup is for the two companies, DISH has up to more than 290 channels available in its services. On the other hand, DIRECTV has up to more than 330 channels. Numbers do matter, but so do the genres covered in the channel list. Customers obviously lean toward the services that have more channel networks to their liking.
Both satellite companies have DVR available with their satellite TV services, but we’ll just go ahead and say that DIRECTV’s Hopper 3 is way better considering it has a capacity of around 500 HD hours of storage, compared to Genie that DISH offers – it only covers 200 hours.
Satellite TV Compared To Cable TV Service
Cable TV was what came after Satellite TV, and obviously more advanced than the latter with its technology at the time. Cable TV is still more commonly used compared to Satellite TV service – they use coaxial cable lines whereas Satellite TV companies rely on orbiting satellites in order to broadcast its signals to satellite dishes and antennas. So how do the two compare to each other? Let’s break it down.
Satellite TV
Satellite TV services require you to have a satellite dish installed on the exterior – mostly balconies or rooftops — from where they can receive signals to transmit for your TV. The great thing about this is that you can rent out an RV with a satellite and take a road trip with access to tv channels, but there’s a catch: weather conditions affect the service and can often cause outages.
However, here’s something that may come as a surprise. Satellite TV service has the capability of providing HD channels as well as support 4K programming. And when partnered with certain ISPs, they can provide bundles that offer internet services too.
Cable TV
Cable TV is a step up technology-wise from satellite TV, but considering they work through cable lines, their access is restricted to areas that have those able lines – mainly urban areas. But great news though, bad weather won’t affect your TV service!
Cable TV providers offer several packages of TV-only, as well as bundles with other services like Internet and Home Phone at very reasonable rates. And the majority of them have moved to offering customers a one-month money-back guarantee with no contracts.
There is no one answer as to which is better – Cable TV or Satellite TV? People have different preferences, and it even depends on the area you reside in in order to establish which works better. Subscribe to whichever one suits you!
