Cable TV can be delivered through three different ways and it depends on your location, which of these three different options might be accessible to you. Cable TV is delivered through wired, satellite or online streaming connections. Here is the breakdown for each of the:
Wired cable connections are sturdy and are not affected by factors such as the weather that may affect its satellite counterpart.
The signals for TV content are encrypted and transmitted across cables, originating at one of the provider’s broadcast centers and going into the customer’s home through a physical cable connection. To turn these signals into the actual TV content, the user must have a receiver. This receiver gets connected to wires and cables through an outlet. Although this equipment comes at a cost, it’s common for cable companies to have promo offers that bring the cost down a bit. Regardless, the customer still ends up paying a monthly fee for their use of the receiver.
The installation process with cable service certainly isn’t difficult. It can take some time, though, and cable providers typically send out their technicians to handle the installation process. Not only can these appointments take several hours, but they can also get expensive. The exact cost will depend on the company, with some being known to charge up to $200. There are many with lower installation fees, though.
Higher bandwidth defines the services of fiber optic TV providers. These cables carry data by using light, while traditional cable or DSL lines transmit through electricity. Light travels faster than electricity hence delivers Internet service faster than wire based cable internet. With faster Internet speeds comes the ability to download or upload content and stream television and other programming without any interruptions.
Fiber optic television presently has somewhat limited availability. Large metro areas are more likely to have fiber optic TV providers than rural areas. Use our search tool and find if there is a fiber internet service provider near you
The second option is Satellite TV, which is ideal for people living in remote or rural areas as telephone lines and underground connections are limited there. Satellite TV also offers widespread availability, diverse channel offerings and competitive pricing as perks.
The broadcasting process for satellite TV is much different than that of cable. It gets rid of the big flaw of cable TV – the physical connection between customer and TV company. As there’s no connection required, a customer could get satellite TV despite being out in the middle of nowhere.
One drawback of satellite TV service is that the setup usually costs more than the setup with cable. It’s often expensive to get a satellite dish and installation isn’t cheap, either. Many of the top satellite providers do the installation and provide the dish with their plans, helping customers save money, but it’s important to look over all the fine print in the contract to be sure. Satellites disadvantage compared to cable is that it’s affected much more by poor weather conditions.
Because of the position of the satellite dish, it could easily get knocked out of position or affected by inclement weather.
Another common freebie with satellite TV service plans is a DVR, and some providers even go with an HD DVR. The customer can use their DVR to watch content from anywhere in their home, pull up the latest On Demand shows and movies, put parental blocks on and record shows. Now, there are also quite a few cable providers offering free DVRs, which means this benefit isn’t exclusive to satellite TV service providers.
| Brand Name | Best Feature | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | On-demand TV selection with over 280+ channels | 3.8 out of 5.0 stars |
| Spectrum | Over 175+ channels with free HD channels | 3.8 out of 5.0 stars |
| Cox | HD DVR with low price increases | 3.0 out of 5.0 stars |
| Mediacom | HD Channels with HDBOX included | 3.4 out of 5.0 stars |
| Altice | 4K Ultra HD channels with Altice one interface and voice activated remote | 2.9 out of 5.0 stars |
| Cable One | TV on-the-go wherever you go | 3.3 out of 5.0 stars |
| RCN | Innovative Intelligent Search – Search TV | 2.8 out of 5.0 stars |
| AT&T | Access to millions of titles with Video-on-demand | 3.3 out of 5.0 stars |
| CenturyLink | Prism® TV’s Whole Home DVR allows you to watch and record multiple shows at once with a single DVR | 3.5 out of 5.0 stars |
| DirecTV | Access everywhere – view what you want on any screen you choose to use. | 3.0 out of 5.0 stars |
| Dish Network | Dish anywhere – access anywhere with add-ons such as multi-view | 3.2 out of 5.0 stars |
In the end, it all comes down to what your preference is. To make this easier and inclusive of all preferences, we have partnered with the largest service providers and compiled everything you need to know about them to make InMyZip a one stop shop for all of cable tv related needs. Just type in your zip code below and leave the rest to us!
Use our search tool below to comparebetween all the TV plans
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