Dish Vs. Cable

In the United States, Dish Network and cable TV dominate the home entertainment sector. The two are locked in a fierce battle to attract customers and make the most of the prevailing boom.

While the Dish Network is accessed by means of a satellite dish and set top box, cable TV is accessed by fixed optical fiber or coaxial cables. That's the basic point of difference between the two, and other differences revolve around it.

The Dish Network is one of the most popular names when it comes to satellite TV service providers in the United States. With both, satellite and interactive television services on offer. In 2019, 11.9 million active subscribes were recorded.

Dish TV subscribers can choose from a range of packages, right from the Dish Family Pack, which has 50 channels to its credit, to Dish Gold Pack, with more than 250 channels. Other than cable TV, the Dish Network faces a tough competition from the other major satellite TV provider, the DirecTV.

Cable television is a household name in the United States, with 45 percent of the American households subscribing to it. Cable TV is broadly categorized into two types: basic cable service and premium cable service. In basic cable service, signals are transmitted without scrambling and encrypting, and thus, anybody can watch it without paying extra.

In premium cable service, on the other hand, signals are scrambled or encrypted, so only those who pay the additional charges can access them with the use of a converter. With 23.5 million subscribers, Comcast is the largest cable operator in the United States.

The Dish Network seems to have a clear advantage over its counterpart, with standard charges all over the nation. In contrast, cable TV charges differ from one region to another.

When choosing between the two, you have to compare the fees charged by your local cable operator with Dish TV subscription fee to get the best possible deal. Customer care is yet another aspect wherein Dish TV has an edge over cable, with most cable TV subscribers complaining about poor customer service reviews.

Other than price stability and customer service, Dish also has an edge in terms of the total number of channels and Pay Per View (PPV) channels. While Dish TV subscribers get access to more than 250 channels, including 80 PPV channels, none of the cable TV service providers have any such arrangement in place.

In fact, cable TV subscribers get access to a mere 40 PPV channels. That being said, if you subscribe for premium cable, you only pay for those channels that you want to watch, which is fair enough.

The fact that Dish TV services are accessed by a satellite makes them vulnerable to rough weather, a problem you are unlikely to face when it comes to cable television. While the chances of someone tampering with the cable cannot be ruled out, such incidents are pretty rare.

At the end of the day, the choice is yours, and you need to choose wisely. Even though the benefits of Dish Network satellite TV seem to outweigh those of cable TV, you should ideally ask for a demo from both or avail their trial period offer before making up your mind.