Subscription television services come in two main flavors: cable and satellite. Anyone who's debating between the two will be confronted with a great deal of marketing material. Making an informed choice can sometimes seem difficult, especially for those who have been getting by with rabbit ears and who aren't particularly familiar with all the products offered.
Cable television is, in reality, a form of satellite television. The cable company maintains one or more large dishes and distributes the programming via their network of coaxial cables. This system was originally used to allow viewers to receive more terrestrial broadcast signals than they would have been able with their own antennas and, thus, is still often termed "CATV", which stands for "Community Antenna Television".
Satellite provides its subscribers with their own satellite dishes that receive programming directly from the satellite itself. The only network of coaxial cables involved are those which run directly from the dish into the subscriber's household. This presents some significant advantages in that there isn't a "grid" to go down and interruptions in television service are much more rare.
Cable television and satellite television both offer subscription packages. Generally, the more one pays the more channels they have available. In general, satellite service offers more channels, both at its lowest level of subscription and at its highest. Cable television's cost tends to increase more with each subscription level, as well, while the difference between one satellite subscription and the next highest level is typically very small.
Cable television service must be available in a potential customer's area before it can even be considered. Because cable television's programming is carried exclusively by physical means, the cables themselves, any household outside the reach of that grid is unable to receive cable services. This is the reason satellite dishes are so frequent a site atop houses in rural areas. For those outside the reach of cable and, sometimes, outside the reach of terrestrial signals, as well, satellite provides a viable solution.
Satellite has built its reputation, in part, on offering a great deal of sports and exclusive programming. Satellite's subscription packages, for instance, typically feature several different varieties of sports packages that offer levels of coverage appropriate for all fans. Cable doesn't offer as many games nor does it offer the many comprehensive packages that one is offered by satellite.
Satellite television has also been the leader in offering high definition programming to its subscribers. For those who have purchased a high definition television, this is the only way that one gets the most out of their equipment. Satellite's selections of high definition programming is currently unrivaled and the offerings include sports events, movies and regular television programming among their number. The sound quality is on par with the video quality, as well.
Technology, when it's used correctly, not only makes more options available but makes them more accessible and cost-effective. Satellite television's advantages over cable, perhaps, are best expressed in those very terms.
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