Digital Satellite's Emergence

While satellite television has been around for several years it is recently that more and more individuals have begun to switch over to satellite television. When the satellite was first introduced it was not always available in every area due to the large dish that was required to receive the signal.

In the last fifteen years the satellites have become a small dish that is easily installed on porch railings, roofs, and the sides of apartment buildings. Other satellite equipment that you will find on the market includes satellite radios. Rather than listening to the regular radio most individuals find satellite radio without commercial interruptions and constant coverage more useful in their homes and cars.

When you discuss digital satellite equipment with friends you often hear many reasons why converting to this new technology is worth it. First most will tell you the equipment can be a little more expensive than just having cable television when you speak about satellite television. The difference between cable and satellite lies in the purchase of equipment. In order to get the same picture from cable as you do on a satellite you have to rent the equipment from the service provider. This makes your overall costs increase. While purchasing satellite equipment may be expensive it is worth the picture and the one time cost. You may also find that there are deals for purchasing satellite equipment, such as buying a new television and receiving the digital satellite equipment free.

So while cost may be an issue many have found it more cost effective to switch to satellite television. There are downsides to satellite television unless you have receivers for each room. The satellite is still based on having each television hooked up to the one receiver and therefore each room will have the same channel. This can be a problem when you have teenagers, but then again there are several reasons for having satellite television. While it does not make sense to most individuals, cable television tends to have more problems with weather than a satellite.

Yes, rain, snow, and wind can interfere with your satellite signal, but it usually lasts a few minutes or during the worst of the storm. Cable tends to lose service because of the coaxial cable that is run all over. The cable can be cut, the weather can knock over the poles, or any number of reasons that could take days to fix.

Now that we have spent a little time on satellite television, let’s look at satellite radio. Reasons for going to satellite radio despite the cost include range of the stations, amount of stations, and the lack of commercials. With satellite radio you are not going to have loud, obnoxious commercials for products (at least for the time being). You will be able to receive the signal almost anywhere in the world, and you have over a hundred channels to listen to. Regular radio can lose the signal when you drive out of town, they have commercials, and generally you find at most ten stations to choose from.