|   need opinions for paper: digital cable or satelite? | fnkycld
Oct 20, 2002 11:15 AM | | I have to write a paper for my "Cable and Satelite TV" course at Boston University. I've chosen to compare the two technologies, look at where both are headed in the future, and predict which one will eventually be found the "winner," in consumer's eyes. Though satelite has been gaining subscribers exponentialy in the last couple of years, it is predicted by some that those numbers may start to drop now that digital has started to go digital. Any and all comments are welcome, but i do have some specific questions too for you guys that have had experience using both:
1. Do the cable packages that include telephoney, high speed internet, and TV service really appeal to you?
2. Does satelite TV still appear better than digital cable to you?
3. Do you have any major complaints about either service
4. What made you pick whichever service you have over the other?
5. For you satelite owners, what kind of internet access are you using? If it is provided by the satelite company, are you frustrated by your upload speed being so much less than your download speed?
Thanks for anything you guys might have to say. I'll be sure to credit you as well as a source. FYI, my professor is one of the big-time VP's for ATT Broadband in the Northeast. Odds are he will be paying close attention to these papers to get a sense of what could be done to improve their service, so please feel free to speak your minds! You never know, it could make a difference!
Funky |
| I have both right now, if you can believe it. | Swish
Oct 20, 2002 1:09 PM | | I've had satellite for about 4 years and like it very much, but when I recently was able (finally) to get broadband internet access, the cable company offered me a great introductory rate for digial cable, so I took it. My answers to your questions:
1. Yes
2. No. Many satellite stations have only fair picture quality, while every channel on digital cable is, well, stunning if you ask me, at least when compared to regular cable or my satellite reception.
3. No, but satellite does suffer when there's heavy rain or snow. You can't get anything to come in at times, although it's rare (4 or 5 times per year?).
4. I haven't made the decision since my intro offer ends on 12/31, but I'll likely go with the cable.
5. N/A
Also remember that many people will never have cable service due to the location of their homes (rural), so satellite is here to stay, albeit on a smaller level I think. Several of my friends also have "portable" satellite systems that they can take to the beach, a cabin, a friend's house, or wherever they want. They take maybe 5 or 10 minutes to set up once you get the hang of it. Try doing that with cable! |
| re: need opinions for paper: digital cable or satelite? | Jim Clark
Oct 20, 2002 1:21 PM | | You might want to double check the spelling of "satelite" if you really want to impress the prof : ) I wouldn't say a word about it except for the fact that you are a university student writing a paper on the subject.
1. This is the one reason we stayed with cable over a satellite system. The price breaks offered on package deals make for a financially appealing package especially for families in a tough economic climate. It's also nice to get rid of the monopolies that have been offering poor service for years. In the past there were no alternatives (at least here) so my options for recourse were severely limited. To finally get rid of companies that took advantage of me for years is tremendous. The money saved, not to mention improved quality and service are icing on the cake.
2. Satellite TV does indeed look more attractive. Unfortunately, compared to the bundled services offered by the new cable company, it simply isn't as good a value.
3. My only real complaint about my cable company is the lack of an S-Vid output on the digital cable box. I'm currently pushing to get this resolved. The immediate outlook isn't promising. It would be nice to have a digital out and 5.1 capabilities with digital cable but I don't realistically have much hope for that.
4. Price in relation to services received. The money saved on phone bills combined with cable internet access is a substantial value.
jc |
| re: need opinions for paper: digital cable or satelite? | Monstrous Mike
Oct 20, 2002 1:45 PM | | <b>My only real complaint about my cable company is the lack of an S-Vid output on the digital cable box.</b>
That's a bummer. My digital cable box has S-video (Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3200). Now I have S-video for cable, VHS, and DVD. With S-video switching on my receiver, now rest of the occupants of our house can figure out how to watch a tape or a DVD, etc.... |
| re: need opinions for paper: digital cable or satelite? | Monstrous Mike
Oct 20, 2002 1:50 PM | | I have digital cable and cable internet access. I have no problems with this setup. I will need a good reason to go satellite. There are nine HDTV channels which I cannot make use of yet.
I have two more points for you. There is also microwave cable which is a local over-the-air delivery system for cable programming. I'm not sure how prevelent it is but it might make for some filler for your paper.
As well, satellite has one big advantage over cable. Since the signal can be received anywhere, people who have cottages can set up an antenna at their cottage and simply bring the satellite receiver with them and have all of the channels they have at home for no extra cost. Can't do that with cable. |
| Info and a request.... | karl k
Oct 20, 2002 3:07 PM | | Funky, I can't attest to the quality of digital "cable" as an alternative to sat, but I would still like to express my thoughts on my choices and why I made them. Roughly 4yrs ago I dropped the "standard" cable offered in S. Kansas and went to satellite. This was before the digital cable was offered so I couldn't make a "Q" comparison but the difference between the standard cable and the sat was very noticable. The reason for the change however had nothing to do with the quality. It was all about numbers with the sat being about 30% less. The quality was a bonus. Now, I would have to assume the digital is every bit as good as the sat but in my neck of the woods, that meant about $15-$20 more per month on top of the regular program cost! The lack of any real competition in the area meant that the cable co's could charge pretty much what they wanted inside of what the Kansas Corperation Commission(KCC) and the FCC would allow. The main reason sighted for any increase in premiums was the increased cost of maintaining the cable systems locally including $20 guarentees for on time service that eventually were rolled into my billing. Now with the on-slaught of satellite, my original multimedia co. sold it's share of the cable to another co. in an effort not to take the loss from the new competition. In all, the price for cable TV programming hasn't changed here and more and more are making the switch to sat. According to Direct TV, this happens to be one of the areas in the country that only has 20% sat subscriptions to date. The point... still lots of room to grow!
As far as the combo programming, I still have dial up on the computer but when the price of sat uplinks comes down, I'll be all over it! The upload spead doesn't bother me so much as I don't do alot of it. But the download speed is comparable to cable and even if the cost is a wash, it will still give me great satisfaction to stab another dagger in the heart of my greedy cable co.!
I believe as long as the cable providers have more maintainance dollars required for their system, there will be room for satellite. The price for a relatively maintainance free sat system will always be more cost effective than cable for both the consumer and the supplier.IMHO
My request from you is simple...
Please post a copy of/link to your paper for all of us to read! I for one would like to see the results of your research!
Karl K.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line... in the opposite direction. |
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