The Difference between Cable TV, Satellite and Fiber Optic Television Providers
There are more choices than ever when it comes to television providers, so you’re not alone if the differences between them confuse you. Most people are pretty familiar with cable TV providers, and unless you’ve moved, you’ve probably had the same one for years. But technology keeps moving forward and with it new options for television viewing have been introduced in the form of satellite and fiber optic services. The following will help you understand the differences between them:
Cable
Cable TV service was the first major step forward from traditional television broadcasting, which used radio waves picked up by television antennas in each home. Basic cable TV providers deliver their service to your home over a coaxial cable that connects to a box on each TV. The availability of coaxial cables was limited at first because they had to be buried in the ground. But now that cable companies have had time to build their infrastructures, cable service is available in most non-rural areas. These buried lines mean that weather doesn’t interfere with service delivery as it sometimes can with satellite TV. One of the most attractive aspects of cable is that it can often be bundled with Internet service and sometimes even telephone service from the same provider, which allows for ease of billing and discounts on all the services.
Satellite
Satellite TV providers beam signals from stations on the ground to satellites that don’t move in relationship to the line of sight on the earth’s surface. Subscribers access the service by mounting dish antennas pointed at the satellites, and sometimes a box that determines which stations can be watched is also needed for the top of each TV. Satellite TV has the advantage of being available anywhere there’s a clear view of the satellite. This makes it useful for people in rural or other areas that don’t have access to cable. Satellite can be affected by the weather, though, which can sometimes degrade the signal.
Fiber Optic
Fiber optic television providers are newcomers to the cable TV world but they represent the cutting edge in television technology. Fiber optic TV service is brought to you through optical fibers, which are lighter, thinner and have a higher capacity than regular copper coaxial cable. Fiber optic lines are also less expensive for the cable provider, so the savings are often passed onto the consumer. Fiber optic is especially effective for high definition (HD) transmissions and high-speed Internet, because the lines are flexible and can send and receive light easily. The only caveat is that you have to be within a certain distance from the source in your neighborhood. If you’re not, the service can suffer.