Cable Fiber Optic & Satellite TV - What's the Difference & How to Choose

Cable TV has been around since 1948 when it was started by John and Margaret Walson of Pennsylvania, and first referred to as community antenna television, which later became what we know today as cable TV. One of the reasons cable TV is so popular is because it's been around so long. It's the original pay-TV service, and the gold standard for all other technologies to follow. In fact, the first satellite distribution of a television show was delivered by HBO for a cable boxing event!

Emeritus H. Taylor Howard, a Stanford University Professor, and former NASA scientist then built the first satellite Dish. After attempting to pay HBO for the movies he had watched, HBO refused to accept the payment as it was against their policy to work with individuals, so Emerist did what any modern blogger might do today, and wrote a how-to manual on the system he had created. Shortly after that he began manufacturing parts for the system he had created with co-founder of Chaparral Communications Inc, Bob Taggart.

Satellite TV service was much cheaper than cable in the 80's, but the expense for a satellite system ranged between $10,000 to $3,000. Hardly a deal for the average Joe, but a superior choice to cable in that day if you could afford it. Fortunately, the price for satellite TV systems and service has dropped drastically, and made it possible for phone companies to offer digital television service along with their other products as part of a bundled package. That is until the recent adaptation of fiber optic TV service like AT&T's U-verse, and Verizon's FiOS. Fiber optics is a superior way to send data, since there is less loss of data, and it travels much faster, which brings us to the differences between cable TV, satellite TV, fiber optic TV, and how to choose between them.

Quality of TV Service, Price, and Availability

The first thing to consider is, of course, availability. It's moot point to decide which television package is best for you if you can't get it where you live. In most cases, satellite TV services like Dish Network, or DirecTV are available just about anywhere, so you can most likely add these to your choices for consideration. Cable and fiber, on the other hand, are very location and provider specific, so you might need to check to see who, if anyone, offers these services in your area.

After determining your options for possible providers, you might want to think of the quality of TV service you'll be receiving from a given provider. Factoid: Just because it's cable doesn't mean a better picture, better sound, or more reliable service. While it's true satellite TV may go out temporarily in inclimate weather, it happens with cable TV service too. If you're a cable subscriber, or have been one in the past, you already know this. I know you're not going to like this, and in this age of technology one would think there is a better way, but ask your neighbors about the quality of their TV service.

Finally, price. It's surprising how many people just go for the cheapest package they can find. Unless you simply don't watch a lot of TV, this isn't a good approach. There has to be a middle ground where price meets satisfaction. Do you enjoy movie channels? How about sports? Local channels? Do you want a DVR, and for how many TV sets? Do you have an HD TV set? Before you think about price, try to zero in on the features you're going to want. After you've made a list go ahead and run your price checks.

Which TV Service is Best

In my opinion, U-verse, or Fios, but that's my opinion. What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander, so ultimately it comes down to your opinion, not mine. If you are looking for someone to tell you which TV service is best, all you're going to get is other people's opinions. I think if one follows the guidelines above, they'll be pretty happy in the long run. I will say U-verse has the best DVR on the market at this point, and with a TV signal over fiber optic you'll get less loss of picture and sound than with anything else you can get.



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Satellite Deals - What to Look For

Within the United States, the two big satellite providers are Dish Network and Direct TV. Nowadays, satellite TVs are all on the fad as each company is selling insistently without charge satellite deal package, throughout the USA.

Free TV deals is one amongst the biggest legends on the web.After you have noticed the free satellite TV offer, you have to know that they are talking about a free setup and free equipment supply that DirecTV and Dish network provide. After your system is installed free, there is a monthly price you have to pay for a lowest possible programs package. The satellite firms still own the equipment and you get to use it as long as you are subscribed to the service. If you stop the satellite deal, you will need to send the equipment back to them.

Most people do not seem to be sure what is the best satellite deal offered. For certain, you ought to look for a great deal from the dealers. You must evaluate and search for the greatest offer before proceeding. Different seller provides different offer. This is as a result of their negotiation with the satellite deal suppliers. Satellite TV have become one among the great technological winner stories. Its no wonder why it's become so popular, with free deals being given away to new customers. The alternative Satellite deals:

TV on Pc:
Seeing TV on Laptop is the latest fashion. Watching satellite TV channels or cable TV channels has always been a difficult choice to make. If you are caught in a dilemma, maybe to watch satellite TV on PC opens a third choice for you. After buying the PC program, you'll never have to pay the subsequent satellite bill. Package deals are sold by many corporations whose solely purpose is to create a profit while offering quality merchandise to clients.

Car Satellite deal:
like your indoor satellite dish, a mobile satellite TV will work by subscribing with a provider, if you install the antenna in your auto, or inserting it on the tripod outside your vehicle. If you wish high-end equipment for the automotive TV system, you can purchase a combination of the receiver in addition to antenna that may easily follow down satellites and then decode signals right into a car TV.

Free to Air Satellite TV Channels:
Free to air satellite TV is an expression employed in describing satellite signals that you'll legally catch with your television, even without subscription. In contrast to ordinary programming, a free to air satellite TV will not encrypt the signals.

Free to air satellite TVs permits you to select up totally different unencrypted broadcasts via any appropriate receiver. You should not confuse free to air satellite TV with FTV (or free-to-view) as FTV programs also comes with no fees, however is encrypted. This suggests that having free-to-view programming on your television can restrict numerous broadcasts, relying on your geographic place.

In order to receive the free-to-air channels, you need to possess a satellite dish, a free-to-air satellite receiver or perhaps a suitable Computer card, a LNBF (low noise block with an integrated feedhorn) and an antenna rotator, (if you want to catch channels from different satellites, rather than through solely one satellite).

Free to air satellite TV, no matter of the kind of dish programming used, could be a great alternative when you're located in regions with weak over-the-air reception and of course it seems to be the best satellite deal.



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Satellite Installation Company - A Clear Picture and Peace of Mind

There many things that go in to finding a solid satellite installation company that is trustworthy and priced appropriately. As a consumer it's important that you protect yourself against companies who don't have your best interest in mind. There are several things that the satellite installation company that you eventually choose should do or have done to make sure that the technician being sent into your home or business is of appropriate experience in quality to grant you the service necessary to make sure that your satellite system provides years of entertainment for your family or workplace. Here are three things that you should look for out of a London area aerial installation company.

A good aerial installation company should have provided ongoing training and support for any and all of their TV aerial, satellite dish and home security technicians as well as their customer representatives. By doing this it ensures that all of these individuals are up-to-date on the latest technology as well as installation processes. This enables them to not only do an acceptable job of answering questions that you may have about the installation process or products that will be put into your home or workplace but also to do the highest quality job during the physical installation itself.

You may be able to find a satellite installation company that has gone as far as requiring its installation engineers to undergo a background check prior to receiving employment with the aerial and satellite installation firm. By doing this the company is not only ensure themselves of an employee with a clean background but also provided a safeguard against individuals entering your home who may have a previous criminal history. Many of the same companies that do background checks will also require a particular amount of experience within the industry to be assured that the individual coming into the company has a firm understanding and background with satellite installation.

The right satellite installation company should also grant some sort of guarantee to back up the work that has been performed on the satellite installation or TV aerial installation in your home. This guarantee should provide you the home or business owner some peace of mind that the installation that has just occurred will continue to work for years to come. If a satellite installation company is not willing to guarantee its work then you may want to consider looking elsewhere for another satellite installation company.

These are just a couple of the things that you can do to make sure the company doing the install of your satellite or TV aerial not only has qualified trustworthy employees but also is willing to stand behind their work for the months to come. Finding a satellite installation company can be a daunting task but by doing a little homework in making sure that the company that you find comes well recommended you will have granted yourself your own little insurance policy against future problems that could have been caused by a less reputable company.



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HBO Brings Black History Month to Satellite TV

February is the time for many different things--Groundhog Day, the potential dulling of a long winter, President's Day weekend, and of course, Black History Month, the opportunity for people to pay special attention to contributions made by African-Americans to the rich tapestry that is the United States. Accordingly, a number of different television channels make an effort to play films directed or written by prominent African-American directors and screenwriters, as well as to run historical documentaries that address the tumultuous past that is just as much a part of America as any other element.

While there are ample options for viewers seeking educational programming relating to Black History Month to choose from, nowhere on satellite tv are the options richer than with HBO. For the third year running, HBO is debuting another installment of its annual program, The Black List. In its third volume, this special-edition HBO programming offers a truly incredible breadth of insight from different African-Americans who come from every imaginable background.

Set up as a deeply personal documentary series, the likes of which is usually not see on television channel-produced programming, over a dozen different prominent African-Americans are asked questions about everything from their own personal experiences to how their backgrounds have shaped not just their careers, but how they think about the world. The documentary offers a truly incredible look into what it is like to grow up African-American in America, how things may have changed and not changed over time, and what it's like to make your way in a world where, unfortunately, discrimination is not always a figment of the past.

While HBO is no stranger to bringing educational programming to satellite TV, The Black List: Volume 3 is a whole other highly personal level of bringing people's individual stories to the small screen. Most of the people interviewed are household names, such as Whoopi Goldberg, Dr. Michael Lomax, and John Legend. Famous and acclaimed writers alike do the interviewing, leading to questions far more insightful than what usually comes along with made-for-television documentaries.

More than simply insight into the world as it is experienced today by African-Americans, The Black List: Volume 3 is also an excellent example of educational programming done right. With its focus on individual stories rather than attempting to fit an entire history into an hour or two-hour block, it offers a unique way of getting regular television viewers to sit down and pay attention to their nation's history, without even realizing that it is what they are doing. It turns satellite TV into a valuable learning tool without making it overly evident to the audience that there is learning to be done, and that is why it is so successful as a documentary.

So while there are a number of different options to choose from when deciding how to better experience Black History Month, don't neglect to tune in to HBO at some point to experience some of the gripping and compelling interviews that The Black List: Volume 3 has to offer. Even if you think you've heard it all before, these incredibly insightful and personal interviews will have you thinking--and feeling--otherwise in no time at all.



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