Satellite TV vs. Cable
Unless you want to use standard antennas to receive only local television stations, you must choose between subscribing to a cable TV service or a satellite TV service. Both options have their pros and cons, depending on your specific location and the kinds of features you want your service to provide. An understanding of how each kind of technology works--as well as the specifics of carrying them--can help you make an informed decision.
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Satellite TV
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Satellite TV utilizes an actual satellite to beam transmission into your home. The company sends its signal straight up into space, where a satellite sits in geosynchronous orbit over a specific spot. The satellite then sends the signal straight down to your home, where a dish mounted on your roof picks it up and sends it into your TV. The process eliminates interference from geographic obstacles such as mountains and valleys, providing a sharp, clear signal.
Cable TV
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Cable TV works by running cables into your home and sending the TV signal directly into your television. The cable TV companies lay wiring throughout a given community, which lets them hook their signal up to any home. Amplifiers, placed at regular intervals along the wiring, ensure that the signal doesn't degrade. Like satellite TV, cable TV eliminates problems caused by the geographic terrain and allows for a very clear signal.
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Location
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Because cable TV networks tend to center around communities, satellite TV becomes preferable for people who live out in the country. Some cable companies won't be able to run their line out that far, and the others which do, may lock you into a lengthy contract that requires extensive fees to escape. Satellite companies, on the other hand, require only a dish and access to a particular point in the sky: much easier to handle in rural communities.
Services
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Both cable TV and satellite TV provide multiple channel options and many of them offer high definition services. Both also offer Internet packages; cable companies through their wiring and satellite companies through DSL. Cable TV is usually a little faster in that regard, but satellite TV is usually cheaper. Cable TV also tends to be preferable in instances where you have multiple televisions to hook up. Both services will charge you for additional receivers, but satellite companies tend to charge more. In addition, satellite TV is usually better for pay-per-view options; cable companies usually require a box, which means an additional fee and the ability to watch the pay-per-view program on one set only.
Interference
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Interference tends to be a matter of brief glitches versus longer outages. On the whole, cable TV goes out much less often than satellite--usually only when there's a serious disruption of the cable lines. Satellites, which are more vulnerable to the weather, can develop glitches in the signal more readily. On the other hand, satellite glitches usually clear up within a few seconds. When a cable signal goes down, it can be down for hours or longer. Which one you choose because a question of calculated risk.
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