In a nation divided in many ways, one of the most heated differences of opinion involves millions of American homes and families.
The hot topic is Cable vs. satellite televison packages – which is better.
Here’s what Consumer Reports recommends for consumers to consider when choosing between satellite and cable.
Decide what channels you want
Not surprisingly, our survey showed a strong correlation between interesting programming and overall satisfaction. Although satellite once had many more channels than cable, digital cable is now competitive.
Bear in mind that if you’re like most people, you’ll probably watch only a small fraction of the channels you get. In our survey, satellite customers watched about 15 channels in a typical week, although they received well over 100. For digital-cable subscribers, the numbers were similar. Analog subscribers got more than 50 channels on average but watched only 11.
Consider hardware costs
For basic analog cable, you generally don’t need any hardware at all. You can plug the cable directly into a TV and use the TV remote. For analog cable with premium channels and for digital service, you’ll usually need a set-top box and a remote, which rent for about $5 to $8 a month. With a digital-cable-ready TV and a CableCard, you won’t need a box.
To get satellite TV, you need a dish antenna and a receiver designed to work with the chosen service. You can buy the hardware from the satellite company, an electronics store, or a satellite-system dealer/installer for about $100 and up. Promotional deals often provide free gear if you commit to programming for one or two years.
With both cable and satellite there are added costs for an HD setup, digital video recording, or broadband Internet access.
Weigh the extra costs for HD
To get HD via cable, you must subscribe to digital cable and rent an HD-capable cable box or CableCard for each HDTV. With some providers, you get both standard-definition and HD versions of the channels in your digital-cable package at no extra charge. Other cable companies charge a few dollars a month for HD.
With satellite, you need an HD receiver, and you might need to modify your dish or add a second one to receive HD channels. That setup can run hundreds of dollars unless you get a reduced-cost promotional offer. An HD programming package costs $10 from Dish Network, $11 a month from DirecTV.
Note that by early next year, both Dish Network and DirecTV will switch to a new signal-compression format, MPEG-4, so that they can transmit more high-definition channels.
Do you want recording capability?
Many cable companies now rent cable boxes with integrated digital video recorders (DVRs) that store TV programs on a computer-type hard drive. For satellite, you might have to buy the unit—a costly investment we don’t recommend at this time, given that it’s a fast-changing technology. Prices start at about $300, although you might be able to get a DVR free or at a low cost as part of a promotion. With satellite, there’s generally a monthly fee of about $5 for recording capability; with cable, it’s about $10. Some of the DVRs available through cable and satellite can record HD programs.
Internet access?
Most cable companies offer high-speed Internet access for $40 to $50 a month. You may be able to trim that by as much as $15 if you also subscribe to the provider’s TV service. The other primary broadband service choice is DSL, high-speed access over telephone lines. The satellite services have partnered with phone companies to provide DSL. It costs about $30 to $45 a month, but you might be able to save $10 a month by ordering it with satellite TV.
Both cable and DSL Internet services have pluses. Cable broadband scored higher for speed and reliability than DSL in a recent survey of our subscribers. DSL was reasonably fast and reliable, and it costs less.
DirecWay, a company partly owned by DirecTV, offers Internet access via satellite. It costs about $600 for equipment plus $60 a month. This service did relatively poorly for speed and reliability in our Internet provider survey, so we suggest that you consider it only if you can’t get cable or DSL.
Consider reliability
In addition to its problem with physical obstructions, satellite service is more subject to weather-related woes. About 31 percent of the satellite-television subscribers in our survey reported a loss of alignment or line of sight with the satellite for one reason or another, and 12 percent cited problems with snow or ice buildup. But more digital-cable than satellite users reported losing service for a day or longer: 17 percent vs. 11 percent.