Do Digital Cable and Sattelite have the same image quality? If not which one is better?

Question

My cable provider is comcast, and wonder if by getting Satellite the channels will be sharper. I have a big plasma TV.
Location: Boca Raton, Florida
PS. By getting a $49.00 Direct TV package, how much that increases on an actual bill (after fees, tax, ecc ecc)??

Answer 1

Cable sometimes still broadcasts "digitized analog" channels, which usually look crappier than satellite channels. However, satellite tends to compress all their signals, and you usually see some degree of pixelization (also called macroblocking or mpeg artifacts). Fiber Optic tv from Verizon (FiOS) currently gives uncompressed digital channels and represents the best video quality you can get.

Cable quality also varies from region to region.

Answer 2

I've seen both and the picture quality is pretty much the same from an HD perspective. Some of your regular Non HD channels look better on cable others on Sat.

One thing to remember though is that they are about to launch a new sat at DirectTV (if they haven't already) which will give us 100 HD channels in the next few months. Not sure what cable is doing, or what the pricing will be, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

weeder

Answer 3

I just switched from Time Warner to Diretv 2 weeks ago. The picture seems to be the same on HD and regular channels. After the equipment fees for Directv, I will start saving $40.00 a month in 4 months from my old cable bill. I was a no brainer for me. And now I have 2 DVR's instead of the 1 I had with Time Warner.

Answer 4

In bad weather, a dish will have more problems than a cable, which may seem odd, since most cable providers get their signals from a dish, but that's the way of things! (ain't technology wunnerful?) ;)

However, just as there are computer nuts who just gotta have the latest-and-greatest-with-all-the-bells-and-whistles, as well as stereo enthusiasts who swear they can tell the difference of quality between systems within 5 hertz (hardly anyone can!), there are going to be video enthusiasts who will "buy" into whatever the media tells them is the "sweetest" thing!

Personally, I don't see what the fuss with image quality is all about! 90% of my TV viewing doesn't require me to see an ant crawling in the corner of screen, and the remaining 10% is usually not important enough to be a concern.

Regardless, unless you're getting a lot of bang for the buck (i.e., more stations that you're actually going to watch and/or freebies that you won't get charged for after some time interval is up), then I'd go with the cheaper system (think of it this way: how much $ do you spend on gas for your car per week? If it's less than the more expensive system per month, then go for it! If not, then go with the cheaper system, if only to save a few dineros!).

P.S. The abbreviation for "etcetera" - - meaning "and so on" - - is "etc.", not "ecc".

Answer 5

many satelite transmissions for television today are digital ... so they are very comparable ... I would go satelite but need the high speed internet for my work and satelite transmissions for that tend to have delays