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Posts Tagged ‘cable television’

Dish Network vs Cable TV

November 13th, 2009

When looking for a good deal on home entertainment, you probably are looking at either satellite TV or cable television service.  While you usually only have one cable company to pick from, with satellite TV you have two choices, DirecTV and Dish Network.   Lets briefly compare Dish vs cable TV service.

Satellite TV service has now been an option for more than 20 years.  Incredibly, cable television has now been around about 40 years in most areas.  With cable TV, you usually have higher rates, as they have a last mile network to maintain.  Dish Network is probably the cheapest pay television option.Their prices are even lower than DirecTV.

With Dish Network, you have to have an area to place a 2 foot satellite dish.  If you live in a condo, this can be an issue.  Some have solved this issue by putting a satellite stand on their patio, as long as it has a southern facing exposure.  Cable television of course has hard lines running into almost every apartment building served in the area, so that may be your only choice if you live in a condo.

DVR boxes have become extremely popular over the past few years, and both cable TV companies and Dish Network offer this service.  Reviews of the Dish DVR though are much higher then the DVR’s used by cable operators.  In addition, Dish TV charges much less then your cable company for DVR service, sometimes by as much as $10 a month.

When it comes to HD, or high definition content you definitely need to check with your local cable company to see how many channels they offer.  The number can vary quite a bit based on where you live.  Dish Network does offer over 100 HD channels, but you do have an extra $10 a month charge, while most cable companies do not charge extra for their HD content.

In conclusion, pros and cons exist with both cable TV and Dish Network.  Fully evaluating your choice beforehand will insure you are happy and satisfied with your service later on.

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Bresnan Basic Cable

July 4th, 2009

Bresnan cable is a big player in the Western part of the United States. Bresnan cable serves many areas in Montana, Wyoming, Utah and areas of Colorado as well. Of course, most of this part of the country is fairly rural in nature, so satellite TV companies are very popular as well. Lets take a look at Bresnan cable and what they have to offer.

Bresnan basic cable packages are usually in the price range from $61 to $80 per month. That is the normal price, which often is reduced during the first year with certain promotions. That is also without any drop in price for having additional services like high speed internet or digital phone.

Bresnan Digital cable with Digital Value Plus On demand comes in five different flavors. Those are Digital Classic ,Digital Classic Plus, Digital Value, and Digital Premier. These bundles all include one digital cable unit and a remote control device. You can of course get additional Bresnan digital converter boxes, you just have to pay $5.99 per month. This fee is about the same no matter which cable TV company or even Dish TV or DIRECTV would charge. Overall, the basic channel lineups are the same in the Bresnan digital cable packages, just expect to pay more depending on the number of premium movie channels like HBO that you want.

When matching up satellite services with Bresnan cable you can see that satellite television pricing is slightly lower when considering the regular monthly rate charged. With satellite you get some nice options, like the great DVR’s given out by DIRECTV and Dish Network. Subscribers also have access to some of the exclusive sports packages at least on DIRECTV like the NFL Sunday Ticket, and the NASCAR Hotpass package, if you are willing to pay extra.

One area Bresnan cable has an advantage in over Direct TV is in their On Demand platform. Cable TV operators across the country have invested billions of dollars in their on demand platforms. These allow customers to start watching a program on their own schedule. Satellite TV companies have begun offering their own on demand programs, but they are reliant on broadband internet connections, something difficult to find in many rural areas.

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