When you compare satellite TV providers, you need to look beyond price alone and consider the quality of the satellite TV technology they offer. Ease of use, reliability, signal quality, and type of contract options are just as important as price, although, of course, price matters too. The tips below will help you select the provider that is right for your needs.
Tip 1: Don’t Pay for What You Don’t Use
Anything you don’t watch is a waste your money, no matter how cheap it is. Make a list of what you actually watch before comparing providers. Be realistic. If the only time you watch classic movies are a few times a year when your parents visit, consider getting them on a pay-per-view basis or renting them just for the holidays.
Tip 2: Choose Your Channels
Make sure that the package you select includes all the channels you want; different satellite TV providers offer different selections of channels.
Tip 3: Choose Your Viewing Spaces
The single television in the living room watched by the entire family at the same time (and the fights over who held the remote) went out when “Leave it to Beaver” went off the air. In a more typical family, you might have one parent watching golf, another watching a cooking show, the teen watching an “Idol” show and a young child watch cartoons, and perhaps a movie and a news magazine program being recorded in the background. The technology of your satellite TV system needs to be able to supply you with a hub that can support multiple simultaneous viewing activities and locations.
Tip 4: Ease of Use Matters
If it takes so long to click through menus that your show is almost over by the time you get to the right screen, you won’t be a happy customer. When you are comparing providers of satellite TV systems, look at their software as well as their hardware offerings.
Tip 5: Quality Matters
If you have invested in a big screen HD TV and good speakers, you want the sound and image quality you’ve paid for. The quality of the satellite TV technology you’re using will affect your overall viewing experience. Thus when you compare satellite TV providers, you need to consider whether they can supply premium quality sound and images to all the rooms of your house where people are watching TV.
