Advantages and Disadvantages of Cable TV

Cable TV has been facing increasing competition from other communications types like satellite television and even such computer sites as Netflix. With all of these options now available, it is a good opportunity to look at the pros and cons of cable television. In this article, I will examine three positive and three negative points about cable television, to help you make an informed decision.

Advantage #1: Stability

Cable television is especially stable in its service. Both traditional air-wave broadcasts and modern satellite television can and will cut out on you during any serious storm (and often during some not-so-serious storms). Cable, on the other hand, will only go out if there is some flaw in the overall system, like a broken cable or router. This will happen far less often than rainstorms, so cable television will provide far more consistent service.

Advantage #2: Bundling

Often specials are available by bundling your cable television with other services in a single package, usually internet and phone, but sometimes services like cellular phones. These bundles can actually save you quite a bit of money, especially if you bundle all three typical services together. It also provides the convenience of having a single bill.

Advantage #3: Price

Cable television can actually be fairly inexpensive, if you don't add too many options. The initial hardware costs are fairly inexpensive when compared to satellite, and the FCC requires that all cable companies provide a basic cable package consisting of broadcast channels and a few local channels. As a result, cable television can be the cheapest form of television aside from buying an antenna.

Disadvantage #1: Annoying Monopolies

Many areas only have a single cable television provider, and this creates a monopoly. While the competition from satellite is increasing, the corporate culture of these monopolies is especially poor. Customer service can be terrible, if not non-existent in many cases, and consumer satisfaction with cable TV companies is consistently some of the worst among any companies in the United States.

Disadvantage #2: Confusing Price Packages

Many cable companies are very confusing when it comes to how much their service will actually cost in the long run. Many require you to sign up for two years in order to get a one-year introductory deal. However, you have to really dig on their websites to find out how much the second year will cost. In other cases, there are hidden fees, rental charges and taxes.

Disadvantage #3: Privacy

If you are bundling your cable television with your internet (and many people do), you will have less privacy on the internet. Cable internet works with a stable IP address that doesn't change, so people will be able to easily track your visits to their sites. Compare this with DSL, where you can easily reset your IP by turning your modem on and off.

With these advantages and disadvantages in mind, you will be in a better position to make a decision about whether to choose cable television.

Alexander Rorty, M.A. lives in Toronto with his wife, Janet, and their two children. He has been writing for the internet since 1997. He has been working on a site called Cable Packages with dozens of articles on cable television, internet and telephone. He has recently written an article about finding the cheapest cable and internet packages.

Advantages of Direct-To-Home Satellite Television

Direct-to-Home (DTH) Satellite Television has revolutionized the way television viewing is prevalent in the country. One can see his favorite programs in High Definition picture quality with CD quality sound effects.

DTH has enabled people to add a personal touch to their experience of television viewing. They can now choose and create their own customized list of channels they want on their screens. Moreover, they only have to pay for the channels they selected. As a result, they are able to streamline their preferences and optimize on their bills. For convenience, most of the DTH operators have already created channel packages for different segments.

DTH services include a feature called interactive television. It has expanded the use of television to an extent that people can play games, watch their personal videos, listen to music CDs, etc. on the television.

People need to visit any of the DTH service providers and apply for the membership. They normally provide different membership plans for varying requirements. One can choose the plan that suits the requirement or else can make a special request. The service providers also provide the facility of renewing membership online. One can also take a different plan at the time of renewal. These plans are normally available on annual basis.

There is another feature that allows people to restrict viewing of certain channels by children. They can enter a password and lock those channels. As a result, one need not worry about what kids are watching behind ones back. Apart from this, one can also choose and pay for a movie slot and avoid missing out on his favorite movie.

Intense competition in the satellite television industry has led operators introduce many promotional offers to gather maximum membership. These offers are normally attractive in terms of cost and benefits and can be bought online. Free subscription to popular channels for a particular time period is a common promotional offer these days.

DTH has eliminated the role of cable operators who earlier acted as middlemen and took satellite television to different households. People had to face the trouble of running after them for problems like unclear signals and an abrupt interruption of the broadcast due to power cuts. Some of them even had the audacity of clipping movie frames to shorten the movie time. All these evils of cable television got erased with the advent of DTH services on a large scale.