Free Satellite TV or Cable Does It Really Matter
By admin | September 7, 2008
As the big shots of the satellite TV industry do on-air battle with the giants of cable tv, you may have already found yourself wondering does it really matter? I mean, aren’t we talking about different techno-roads to the same place here? Six of one, half dozen of another? For Pete’s sake, I just want to watch the game!!
I’m going to let the cat out of the bag right away here - I’ve actually found an unequivocal answer to this very important TV question: satellite is beating the snot out of cable every day of the week. Ok, so now that I’ve let you in on my subtle bias, let me lay out for you why satellite is eating cable’s lunch and sending the cable guys into boardroom frenzies. (For additional technical info on the differences between the two technologies/services, send me an email with “sat vs. cable” in the subject line to: pm_nels@yahoo.com and I’ll send you the links you’ll need).
Lets first talk about where they both compete evenly. Both cable and satellite offer lots and lots of programming-including local channels. Oops that apparently is where the similarity ends.
How do they compare in regard to technology and delivery?
With satellite TV, your favorite shows come straight from the satellite (out in peaceful, quiet space) to your dish/tv. Pretty simple. The cable company, on the other hand, has to first acquire the signal from a satellite themselves (surprise!), then they must snake it through miles of fragile ‘cable’ until it arrives at your TV. Here’s my point: storms, wayward construction crews, landscapers, and car accidents among other things, can all inadvertently knock out your cable. My local cable company has almost always got a nice disclaimer on their tech support hotline referring to some weather disaster resulting in ‘interruption of service‘ to some portion of your region, and that they are working as fast as possible to correct the problem (and call hold times may be lengthy as a resultGREAT!).
Here’s the good news for satellite TV customers: there are no storms, wayward earth movers or landscapers in SPACE! The cold, hard truth is that cable tv viewers experience MORE service problems, not fewer (contrary to what those finger-pointing cable industry advertisements say) than their satellite viewing counterparts. If you’re not convinced, just poll ten of your friends or neighbors with cable tv, and then another ten with satellite and see how many reception and “interruptions of service” problems they report. I promise you the satellite customers are far less concerned about “the weather” than their cable watching neighbors.
You’re also going to get more for less with satellite, hands down. Most satellite providers offer DVRs (along with free satellite installation for multiple rooms) as a free upgrade, where most cable companies nickel and dime you for DVR, among other ‘upgrades’ and miscellaneous fees.
And that leads me to the next big issue in the cable-satellite face off. In a word: competition. Satellite has actually got some. As a TV consumer, I just love a market economy, don’t you? Your local cable company competes with the satellite industry, but not with anyone else. The satellite TV industry is filled with many small and large wholesalers that must compete with each other as well as with the cable industry. This creates the competitive economic conditions among satellite dealers that allow for things like that free equipment I mentioned, free installation, free premiums, etc that cable tv providers just don’t feel compelled to (or just can’t) offer. To see some representative examples of competitive satellite providers that give away the shop to gain a viewer, see the links at the very bottom of this article (”about the author..”).
All other factors being equal (and they really are), the TV battle boils down to technology delivery, and competitionperiod. And shrewd consumers are beginning to choose satellite over cable tv in big numbers, and you can expect to see this trend causing more and more panic in the cable industry in the coming years. So to all you cable watchers out there is that a thunderstorm moving in on the horizon?…
About the author: Paul M. Nelson resides in Raleigh, NC and possesses more than a decade of experience in microbiological and molecular biology research and diagnostics, as well as a consuming interest in satellite technology. He is an occasional author of articles pertaining to the satellite television industry, and can be reached at pm_nels@yahoo.com. [Example providers: http://www.paulnelsonweb.com, http://www.paulnelsonsites.com]
Tags: free satellite, free satellite tv, satellite tvTopics: Satellite_TV | No Comments »
Satellite TV Free Systems Guide
By admin | September 6, 2008
Dish Network and DirecTV are the largest providers of satellite TV service in the United States. While these satellite TV companies don’t really offer free satellite TV service, they do provide free satellite TV systems to those who qualify on a credit scale. Many satellite TV guides don’t get to the bottom of why free satellite TV systems are offered.
While it’s no secret Dish Network and DirecTV both offer free satellite TV systems, it may be of interest to you why they do this. I know, what you’re thinking, “they do it so you’ll sign a contract”, right? Not exactly. Though providing a free satellite TV system does help entice customers into a contract, which helps sustain a steady customer base, this isn’t the main reason for the offer.
Think about it. When you move into a new home, you don’t call Dish Network for television service, you call the cable company. It’s as natural as calling the utility companies to get service connected. Most homes in America are already wired for cable. So how do satellite TV companies compete with cable? That’s right, by offering the satellite TV equipment for free. It’s all about serviceability.
I cringe each and every time I see published articles stating free satellite TV is a scam. Let’s get to the honest truth of the matter. Free satellite TV is a business model, and a very successful one that accomplishes three Important things.
- Makes Satellite TV service readily
available.
By making satellite TV systems free,
satellite TV service is as easily available as cable
television. - Provides an enticing offer.
We
all love freebies. Who can resist getting hundreds of
dollars in equipment just for signing up for
programming? - Helps maintain a strong customer
base.
When satellite TV companies offer the satellite
TV system free, they usually require a service agreement in
return.
This satellite TV free systems guide wouldn’t be complete without discussing the difference between satellite TV vendors, and providers. The providers are the source of the service like Dish Network or DirecTV, while the vendor’s are the resellers and installers. AllSat is a Dish Network vendor, while iSatellite is a DirecTV vendor.
Satellite providers offer a standard package, while individual vendors may offer special incentives to get you to purchase satellite TV service through their company. For example, Dish network vendor “A” might offer additional free equipment such as a home theater system, as opposed to vendor “B” who only provides the standard offering from Dish Network.
DirecTV and Dish Network will sometimes offer discounted or free programming for a specified amount of time as an introductory offer. Dish Network’s 19.99 introductory offer was so popular they designed a program package with 19.99 as the every day regular basic programming package. Both providers offer free movie channels with some programming packages.
So what’s included in a free satellite TV system? Both Dish Network and DirecTV offer up to four rooms installed for free. The satellite system includes DVR’s HDTV receivers, the satellite dish, plus the satellite dish recievers. Both providers charge for extra DVR service and HD service. Both satellite TV providers offer a free introductory period on HD programming.
So there you have it, the true and indisputable satellite TV free systems guide. No scams, no tricks, just good business and a good business model that benefits both the satellite TV companies and you, the consumer. Just remember, if you had to buy the satellite TV system up front to get the service, it could really cost you a pretty penny.
Daymon Hoag is the Editor for Cheapest Service and provisioner of Dish Network Satellite TV
Tags: cheapest service, directv, dish network, free satellite, satellite systems, satellite tv, satellite tv guiTopics: Satellite_TV | No Comments »
Satellite Television Providers The Best Satellite TV Deals
By admin | May 29, 2008
Ever notice there are more satellite TV deals than satellite
television providers? How can there be so many different
satellite TV offers when there are only two major providers?
Dish Network and DirecTV are the major players in satellite
TV service, yet there seems to be an entire army of
satellite TV promotions, offers, and deals. Why is that?
It’s almost laughable as I imagine someone googling the
search engines for the cheapest satellite TV service, or
best satellite TV packages, etc. All Dish Network offers say
programming is 19 dollars a month, yet one offers a free
home theater system, another offers money back, and still
another offers a free DVD player. One begs, “buy my dish”.
The same logic applies to DirecTV deal hunters. The price is
always 29 dollars, but then you might see free TIVO on one
offer, money back on another, and a couple are spelled
wrong. I thought we were looking for DirecTV not Direct TV
or DircTV! Oh, and let’s not forget free satellite TV
offers. I don’t know about you, but I love freebies.
There are some seriously frugal folks out there chasing down
the pot of gold at the end of the digital television
spectrum. In high definition no doubt. There are enough
satellite TV deals to keep you bouncing from web page to web
page for hours! The truth of the matter is the bottom line
offers don’t ever change. It’s true, and I’ll tell you why.
This we know, there are only two satellite television
providers we need to be concerned about, Dish Network and
DirecTV. Both satellite television companies offer a free
four room satellite TV system including the satellite dish,
receivers, plus free DVR and HDTV equipment. This variable
is not going to change among the satellite TV providers.
Satellite TV programming packages won’t change either. Dish
Network’s cheapest programming package starts at about 19
dollars, while DirecTV’s cheapest service starts at around
29 dollars. Both sometimes offer special rates on premium
movie channels and HD programming, but the base price and
programming is always constant.
The only variable that changes in these satellite TV offers
is the vendor, or reseller promotions. What I mean is, while
the Dish Network or DirecTV bottom line offer remains
constant, the satellite TV vendor may offer something extra
as an incentive for you to buy from them. This is often
times a freebie or cash back offer.
There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it is to your
benefit there is so much competition out there. If you were
to go directly to Dish Network or DirecTV you would get the
exact same satellite TV package, minus all the goodies. If
you’re going to buy anyway, you want all the freebies you
can get right? Take cable television for example.
When was the last time you saw a reseller for cable
television offer you some money back or cool free offers
just to get you to buy from their agency? Never, right?
That’s because they don’t have to. Cable TV has you over a
barrel and there is no competition. The only competition
cable has is satellite TV, and they deal with that by
running negative ads.
Competition is good, and you make out like a bandit! So what
are the best deals in satellite TV? In the end, that is
really going to be up to you, but I’ll tell you what I
think. Anyone who’s surprised, raise your hand. OK,
seriously though, here’s what I know. My cable company used
to charge 50 bucks a month for 60 channels. Sound about
right?
Dish Network now offers satellite TV programming at 19.99 a
month for 40 channels. This is the regular price, not a
promotion. Local channels are 5 dollars extra. You’ll end up
with about 60 channels for around 25 bucks a month.
according to my calculations, that’s about half the price of
cable. Now just tack on the freebie from your vendor of
choice, and there you have it. Your best Dish Network deal.
Now let’s take a look at DirecTV who currently offers 155
channels for 29.99 a month. Add 3 dollars for locals, and
this is still about 17 dollars cheaper than what my cable
company charges for basic service alone. Now that I think
about it, my old cable company didn’t even give me a DVR
with that! Anyway, pick a freebie and there’s your best
DirecTV deal. Now I remember why I disabled the cable!
From time to time, both Dish Network and DirecTV will change
their bottom line satellite TV packages. Just remember when
they do, those stay the same from vendor to vendor. What
changes is the promotional offer. Promotional offers are why
it’s better go through a vendor rather than the actual
satellite television providers for the best satellite deals.
Daymon Hoag is the Editor for Cheapest Service and provisioner of quality Dish Network Satellite TV Service.
Tags: cheapest service, directv, dish network, free satellite, sat, satellite television providers, satellite tvTopics: Satellite_TV | No Comments »