The television has been the most used entertainment device in almost all homes in the United States ever since it was invented. It is still number one media source in the home, though the home computer is gaining ground, and it looks like it will stay that way for a long time to come. It has surpassed both newspapers and radio transmission media in terms of audience and profitability. But pay television relies on a service provider and the two types from which we can choose from are satellite TV or cable television.

Cable TV is transmitted through fiber cables and coaxial cables. The big advantage of cable television is that it the quality of its signal is not degraded in any way by mountains, trees or any other geographical limitations. The bad part of things from the cable company point of view is that it is very expensive to continually expand and maintain the wiring needed to broadcast the network content. Today cable TV is offered by more companies compared to satellite broadcasting. Well known companies are Comcast, Charter cable, Mediacom, Time Warner, and Cox cable. The competition to be the biggest and best cable company will ensure you that you will get your money’s worth.

Satellite dish television on the other hand is offered by just two companies in the United States. First is Dishnetwork and the other is Direct TV satellite. These companies rely on the receivers given to their customers and they use communication satellites in order to deliver their programming. They offer more stations compared to Comcast digital cable and usually cost a little bit less than cable. However, the costs involved here are the satellites that must be sent into orbit. There are plenty of places to browse Direct TV reviews and find out more about the company.

One of the great things about satellite television is the wide variety of sports programming.  You can watch all kinds of football with the NFL Sunday Ticket.  If you prefer college football, the ESPN Gamplan 2009 choice is the way to go.  And with the announcement of a new ESPN 3-D in 2010 then customers may have more choices.

The good news for any customer is that there are different choices in the pay TV market. Whether the preference be based on programming, prices, packages or customer service; the consumer will be able to find a suitable provider for him or her.

Well it is the time of year when both cable and satellite TV companies are raising rates.Comcast got the ball rolling in November of 2008, with notice that they would be raising rates on their customers. Dish Network followed up with their own announcement that took effect in early February of 2009, also raising prices on customers.

Direct TV is the latest major player to announce a rate increase. The Direct TV price hike will take effect in early March, and will raise the prices of most packages between $3 and $5 dollars each. DirecTV is citing higher programming costs as the reason for the increase. Direct TV prices have been raised for the past three years.

All in all, the increase won’t break any budgets. When you look at it logically, they are basically raising the price of service about a dime a day, well worth it for most satellite customers who watch between one and four hours of television each day. Still, it seems as if consumers are getting nickel and dimed to death, even with the economy going into the tank.

On the other hand, compare DIRECTV vs Dish Network and that will provide you a good idea on what satellite TV can offer. One example is the price charged for DVR service every month. The DirecTV DVR is about per month, while Comcast charges nearly for their DVR service. Charges like this really can increase your bill.

Direct TV had another stellar quarter to finish out 2008. They added over 300,000 customers in the latest reporting quarter, while Comcast lost a half a million. That in itself show that DirecTV feels comfortable raising rates, even though the economy continues to slow to a crawl. Dish Network will certainly have a hard time keeping up with Direct TV in 2009, as they have lost a key reseller, with AT&T switching over and offering Direct TV service this year.

Ever since the invention of the television, it has been the top media channel in the modern world. In the United States alone, there are millions of people who rely on television for both information from news and entertainment from daily scheduled programming. Today, a popular method of TV broadcasting is done via cable networks.

Cable television or CATV was commonly used in mountainous regions where broadcast signals are weak, so they used coaxial cables to broadcast television programming. Today, it is a common television service and in the United States there are a lot of cable providers to choose from. Unfortunately though in most areas, you will just have one cable TV company serving your area, so if you want something different, you will have to go with satellite TV. This is not always a bad thing, its a good idea to line up the companies side by side, comparing Comcast or DirecTV.

The top cable provider in the United States is Comcast, it is by far the largest cable company in the country. It also offers high speed internet service and is currently in second place and fourth place in providing telephone service. However, they have a reputation for having some of the worst customer service among any company or government agency in the United States. Next is Cox cable, which is owned by Cox enterprises. They have nearly 6 million subscribers to their cable service, internet and home phone service. They are currently the third largest cable company in the country. The third largest in terms of revenue is Charter cable Television company. In terms of revenue, they are behind only from Time Warner cable and Comcast. Then we have bright house cable which is the sixth largest cable company. Most of these companies now also offer home telephone service.

Many are satisfied with the Comcast basic cable packages, however if these do not catch your fancy you can also turn to satellite TV companies like Dish Network who also provides high definition or HD service for those who want it. The only problem being it is sometimes difficult to get Dish Network in your condo

Finding a good deal on cable TV isn’t difficult, that is as long as your not already a customer of the cable company.

The reason for that is due to the fact the cable TV company wants to increase their customer base, so of course they are willing to offer you a great deal, usually for the first six months of service. The cable provider understands if you get service from them, you may set up a with one of their triple play bundle that puts all of your services together like voice, video and hi speed internet.

You can usually get a triple play bundle for just per month for the first six months or so. Here is an example of what cable TV company pricing could cost: Basic TV costs per month, high speed internet is per month, and phone service is per month. With prices like this, your overall bill would be 0 per month before taxes and fees that always seem to find their way onto your cable bill.

But it is good to consider how this might turn out down the road Well think about where you will be once the promo is over. You will have all of your television sets connected to cable TV, your internet connection including your e-mail account through the cable company, and of course your home line through the cable company as well. But all at once your price goes up almost 50%, from around $100 every month to $140+ each month. Now is it easy to switch?

Maybe, maybe not. The smart thing to do ahead of time is compare providers before making your final choice.One would be wise to comparison shop Dish Network vs cable before making a hasty decision.

While you might logically say it is easy to switch to some kind of deal from DirecTV or something else from your local phone company like Verizon FiOS. Some things though are easier said than done. Often the time and hassle involved with switching from cable to a different provider makes the customer stay with whatever service they have. Even though the monthly bill is high, the subscriber stays with the company because they have all the services on the same bill from the same provider. That is what the cable TV company expects when giving the subscriber a good short term deal.

100% Hi Definition Service.

If you’re a cable subscriber, your service provider most likely carries around 20 to 50 channels in HD. But if you have access to satellite TV, chances are you’re enjoying up to 100 channels that have nice crisp pictures and flawless reception.

At this time, not even the largest cable TV companies such as Comcast, Time Warner, Brighthouse, Cox Cable and Charter Cable can match up to DirecTV’s 130+ channels you can watch on HD. By the end of the year, DirecTV projects satellite TV subscribers will be watching 100 to 150 channels on HD. Put that HDTV to good use and maximize your viewing experience through dish television!

Watch More, Pay Less.

The pro-con list could go on and satellite would still emerge superior to its cable counterpart. However, it all boils down to this: You get to see more for a price that won’t burn a hole in your wallet. With satellite, you get more features, more movies, more music, more cartoons, more sports, more HD! You will receive more of virtually everything each month. Great sports programming like the NBA League Pass are also available for an extra charge. What more could you ask for?

Free Set-up.

Most cable TV companies charge you  for sending out a technician to hook up your TV sets. Satellite TV providers, Dish Network and DirecTV offer free installation and setup in order to make things easy. You no longer have to worry about reading the fine print or fees that cable companies (over)charge one time or monthly.

Multi Media Entertainment.

Audio Stations on TV?! The limits of media are once again broken, but in a good way for the subscriber. Subscription to Dish Network gives you access to Sirius Satellite, so you can listen to great music all day long once you’re tired of watching tv.

Family Friendly Packages.

With your current cable subscription you get basic packages with channels picked for you. However, satellite TV services from Dish Network and DirecTV program packages that will cater to all members of the family. Everyone should be able to enjoy viewing without worrying what they young ones are seeing. These satellite packages ensure that kids see age-appropriate as well as educational shows.  Even better, many foreign language packages are available such as the Dish Network French bundle which can bring your native tongue home.

Comparing your local cable company, such as Comcast vs DIRECTV might save you some money. Switch now to a great DirecTV deal if you don’t want to regret missing out on anything.