Dish Vs. Cable

In the United States, big players such as the Dish Network and Cable TV dominate the home entertainment sector. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Dish Network and Cable TV are locked in a 'fierce battle' in a bid to attract more customers, and make the most of the entertainment boom. The basic difference between Dish Network and Cable TV is that the former is accessed by means of a satellite dish and a set top box, while the latter is accessed by fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables. Most of the other differences between these two services revolve around this basic difference of the mode of signal transmission itself. Before we move on to the details of dish vs. cable comparison, let's have a look at each of these services individually.

Dish Network

The Dish Network is a satellite service which provides access to satellite as well as interactive television services in the United States. One of the most popular names when it comes to satellite TV service in the US, Dish Network boasts of 14.3 million subscribers across the nation. Dish TV subscribers can choose from a wide range of packages, right from the Dish Family Pack, which has 50 channels to its credit, to Dish Gold Pack, with more than 250 channels to its credit. Other than Cable TV, Dish Network faces a tough competition from the other satellite TV provider in the United States - the DirecTV.

Cable TV

Cable television is a household name in the United States, with 58.4 percent of the American households subscribing to it as of 2006. Cable TV is broadly categorized into two types - Basic Cable service and Premium Cable service. In case of basic cable service, the signals are transmitted without scrambling and encrypting, as a result of which anybody can watch it without paying any extra fee. In case of premium cable service, on the other hand, the signals that are transmitted are scrambled or encrypted, so that only those subscribers who pay the additional charges can see them with the use of a converter. With 23.5 million subscribers, Comcast is the largest cable operator in the United States.

Dish Vs. Cable

Coming back to Dish Network vs. Cable TV comparison, Dish Network seems to have a clear cut advantage over its counterpart. While Dish Network has standard charges all over the country, Cable TV charges tend to differ from one region to another. When choosing between the two, you have to compare the fees charged by your local cable operator with Dish TV charges to get the best possible deal. Customer care is yet another aspect wherein Dish TV has an edge on Cable TV, with most of the subscribers complaining about poor customer service reviews.

Other than price stability and customer service, Dish also has an edge in terms of the total number of TV channels and Pay Per View (PPV) channels. While Dish TV subscribers get access to more than 250 channels with 80 of these channels being PPV channels, virtually none of the Cable TV service providers have any such arrangement in place. In fact, Cable TV subscribers get access to a mere 40 PPV channels. That being said, you have the option of paying only for those channels that you want to watch (only in case of Premium Cable in Cable TV services).

The fact that Dish TV services are accessed by a satellite makes them vulnerable to rough weather conditions - a problem which you are unlikely to face when it comes to Cable television. While the chances of somebody tampering with the cable cannot be ruled out, the occurrence of such incidents is pretty rare. To sum it up, Dish TV is a clear winner when it comes to Dish Network satellite TV vs. Cable TV comparison.

Those were some of the most prominent points of distinction in the dish vs. cable comparison which have to be taken into consideration when choosing between the two. At the end of the day, the choice is yours, and you need to choose wisely. Even though the benefits of Dish Network satellite TV seem to be outweighing those of Cable TV here, whether they really hold ground is something that you would only realize when comparing the two products properly.