twc_guy
Novice
Feb 19, 2006, 6:35 PM
Post #3 of 4
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Depends on what you want, the area you are in, and the landscape around.
Usually, the price for dish is lower than cable, but cable seems to have better support. I'll list some pro's and con's of each, and you make the decision from there:
Dish
Pro's:
- Lower montly cost (for the most part)
- All Digital Channels (execpt local)
- NFL Sunday Ticket (If you are a football fan)
- Can get Dish programming where cable isn't provided
- Free Basic Installation
- Usually get 2 - 4 boxes free of charge, one of which is a DVR
Con's:
- If you want more than 4 TV's with dish programming, you have to purchase a box for each room, which can range from $50 - $250
- Dish usually gets mounted on your roof, which requires them to drill holes through your roof.
- Anything in the way of your dish to the sky will cause your dish to stop working, or it to "sputter" (Cut in and out)
- You have to sign a contract, and there are early termination fee's
- Service calls are usually charged, not free
- Local channels are not included, you have to purchase a seperate antenna to recieve local programming.
Cable
Pro's
- You don't need to have a digital box to recieve most Cable TV Programming, so you can have as many TV's as you want
- Local Support - Most cable companies are located within your area, so they can come and troubleshoot / fix problems faster
- Local Programming (local stations) are on the cable system, you don't need an extra antenna mounted
- Two Way Support - Most cable systems have On Demand Programming, meaning you can rent movies off of your box, watch programming on your scheduale.
- Usually free installation (depending on the cable company and their policies on installs)
- No Contract
Con's
- Equipment - Most cable companies rent you the box, meaning you pay a monthly fee for each box that you have, on top of the programming costs you want
- Outages - Cable outages can be out for hours on end, sometimes even days
- Analog and Digital mixed programming - a lot of stations on cable systems are analog signals, meaning they are not always going to be as clear as digital stations
- Not available in all areas - Cable isn't available in all areas, so if you live out of town, there is a chance that cable isn't available
Keep in mind that not all cable and satallite companies are the same, so make sure you ask them a few questions before signing up with either. This isn't the most detailed list, but I hopet his gives you some insite into the differences on each system. Either way you go, you will get more channels than you have with just an antenna, which is always nice!
I work for Time Warener Cable, and have been on the field for some time. I try to help out when I can!
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