Why Satellite TV?

Alot of people have been signing up in recent years for satellite TV service. Many of these people once had cable service but decided to switch to satellite. The DISH Network Corporation said in January of this year that it had now gone over the 13 million mark for U.S. households that used their service. What is it
that so many Americans see in satellite TV technology that they weren't getting from their old cable company? This article will try and uncover some of the reasons.

Why Feed the Pig?
Alot of Americans have made the switch from cable due to cable's high monthly cost. Cable rates keep climbing with no end in sight. According to the National Cable and Telecommunications Association the average Basic cable package starts at $42.76 per month. That is their cheapest package. DISH Network on the other hand has packages that start at just $19.99 per month. If you want alot more programming channels with your cable company, the monthly bill can be well over $100.00 a month. So alot of Americans have simply decided to stop feeding the pig.

Why Watch a Fuzzy Picture?

Cable TV companies use a combination of analog signals and digital signals. This often produces a very poor picture quality. A fuzzy picture. Satellite TV companies such as DISH Network use 100% digital technology. This produces crystal clear and sharp
images which are easier and more enjoyable to watch. Also, cables are under the ground and sometimes little critters can knaw away at the cable thus allowing rain water to seep into the cable and this also causes a very fuzzy picture. With satellite TV, the coaxial cable runs from the satellite dish on your roof down and straight into your house avoiding this problem. So people are tired of watching a fuzzy - distorted picture.

Why Can't I Receive Cable Service Where I Live?

A major problem with subscribing to cable TV is that often if you live out in remote areas or mountainous areas the company simply can't lay cable in many locations. If they can't lay the cable, then you don't get any cable service for your area. Also, laying cable is a time and labor intensive proposition. Vast areas of the
country are to this day without cable service simply due to the fact that the cable companies simply haven't gotten around to laying cable in those locations. Dish Network satellites are located at approximately 22,300 miles above the earth's equator in geosynchronous orbits. They are always there 24/7 beaming down their satellite TV programming. So virtually anyone can sign up for and receive satellite TV service. No more being told - "Oh, we're sorry; but our cable company doesn't service that area".

Why Is My Television Screen Blank?

A recent study done by J.D. Power & Associates shows that cable subscribers suffer through up to 5% of downtime on
their service. That figure is only 1% for satellite TV subscribers. And these cable outages can last for hours before they get the problem resolved. With satellite TV often you can just unplug the TV for 30 seconds and then plug it back in and
that will often fix the problem. So it seems people actually want their TV to work when they turn it on. Silly them.

So back to our original question. Why satellite TV? And our obvious answer is - why not?!

G Alan Davis is owner of Digital Dish, has over five years experience in the satellite TV business, selling both DIRECTV and DISH Network and has written numerous articles on the subject.