Television Service Providers - Comparison
DirecTV Dish Network | Comcast Cox Communications Time Warner Cable® | U-Verse® FiOS®
There are currently three methods of delivering television to the home, not including over-the-air broadcast signals which are free to receive and view as long as you have a set-top-box. The most familiar method is cable television where you pay your local cable company and they run cable TV to your house which usually hooks up to your TV via a cable box. Some of the cable providers we will talk about are Comcast, Cox Communications, and Time Warner Cable® companies.
The second method is satellite television in which a subscriber has a satellite dish mounted usually on their house with a cable running from it to the satellite receiver which is connected to the TV. The signal is sent from the content provider to the satellite company up to their satellite and then back down to the subscriber. The two main satellite providers in the US are DirecTV and Dish Network.
The third method is a newer and most likely a lesser known method. It uses a fiber optic cable, to connect to your house and can provide television as well as internet and phone service; however, all three are dependent on availability in your area and upon franchise agreements with other television, internet and telephone providers. The two main providers of television over fiber optics are Verizon FiOS® and AT&T's U-verse®.
Fiber based providers:
AT&T U-verse®
Verizon FiOS®
Features:
- Lots of On Demand movies provided in HD at resolutions up to 1080i
- On screen menu guide layout and looks and functions very well
- Large capacity DVR available
- High number of HD channels usually more offered than cable or satellite providers
- Both companies often have competitive prices and discounted package promotions
- Schedule DVR recordings from your computer or internet accessible phone
- On Demand movies and shows can be started instantly
- Package deals are often available to bundle and save on phone, internet and TV
Cable providers:
Comcast
Cox Communications
Time Warner Cable®
Charter Communications
Optimum
Bright House Networks
Mediacom Communications Corporations
and many more
Features:
- Lots of On Demand movies provided in HD at resolutions up to 1080i
- Most cable providers provide on screen menu guide with their digital packages
- High number of HD channels
- Companies often have competitive prices and discounted package promotions
- On Demand movies and shows can be started instantly
- Package deals are often available to bundle and save on phone, internet and TV
Satellite Providers:
DirecTV
Dish Network
Features:
- Lots of On Demand movies provided in HD at resolutions up to 1080p24
- On screen menu guide layout and looks and functions very well and is updated often
- Large capacity DVR available
- High number of HD channels
- Both companies often have competitive prices and discounted package promotions
- If you want the best/most sports available DirecTV is the clear choice but be prepared to pay top dollar to add all of the sports packages as they add up quickly
- Schedule DVR recordings from your computer or internet accessible phone
Please note:
- Both companies usually require a two year contract and often restart it after hardware upgrades such as adding a new receiver when adding another TV
- On Demand movies and shows must be downloaded over the internet hence an internet connection is required
- Requires the mounting of a satellite dish on the house or property
- May not have all local HD channels in your area although they do have most local channels
- New cables will need to be run from the satellite dish to your TVs inside the house (usually there is no additional cost for running these cables)
- Satellite television receives it's signal from satellites orbiting the earth therefore the satellite will need a clear line of sight path to your satellite dish. Unfortunately, tree branches, clouds and in rare cases even airplanes can disrupt the signal transmission resulting in the loss of picture until the satellite box can receive a signal again. Most interruptions are brief usually only lasting a few minutes during a heavy thunder-storm but be keep this in mind if you are in a region that often gets afternoon thunderstorms you may likely lose picture for a minute or two during heavy rain storms depending on cloud coverage.