Five satellite TV myths

You may have heard that satellite TV is inferior to cable for a number of reasons. In most cases, those reasons are founded in outdated perceptions of the service.

"In the early days of satellite, companies allowed customers to install their own equipment, which led to problems when customers failed to follow recommended guidelines," says Ken Mabry, a NASA flight operations engineer, IT consultant and 10-year satellite customer. "Then, when customers didn't properly secure their dishes or mounted them in less than ideal locations, their quality of service suffered."

He says it didn't take long before satellite companies realized this was affecting their reputation and stepped up their training for installers and put an end to DIY customer installs. "This simple step resulted in a much higher customer satisfaction rate," Mabry adds.

Poor installation and poor service aren't the only misled notions about satellite TV. Below, we outline five satellite myths that could have you rethinking your TV service.

Myth #1 - It's More Expensive Than Cable

Satellite TV actually beats out cable in the price game, according to research by diffen.com, a website that compares various products. On average, the site reports that cable costs around $65 per month for non-HD ($70 for HD), while satellite comes in around $45 for non-HD and $65 for HD.

So why do consumers think that cable costs less?

Ryan Grier,a 13-year satellite TV industry expert, says people tend to think satellite costs more than cable because it's often advertised as such to customers who can only receive satellite TV in their area.

"Since there is no competing option, it is often perceived as expensive," he explains. "However, when compared to cable rates in similar locations, the packages are actually priced within the same range."

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Myth #2 - It Has Inferior Programming

Grier says this myth is 100 percent unfounded. In fact, he adds that with over 200 HD channels, satellite TV offers excellent program offerings.

In fact, diffen.com notes that "Satellite TV offers both east and west coast feeds and alternate sports programming on channels like ESPN and Fox Sports. In addition, it also offers several international channels that cable does not."

In regards to sports, Ryan Wien, a relatively new satellite TV customer, says that DIRECTV is the only provider that offers the NFL Sunday Ticket.

"That alone is a huge advantage for sports fans," he says. During football season, Wien says he didnt have to find a bar to watch games anymore, with all the channels he needed available on his own TV.

Satellite also offers comprehensive access to hockey games via NHL Center Ice, which is available on DirecTV and Dish Network, but limited among cable TV providers.

Myth #3 - The Signal Goes Out All the Time

False! Mabry says that he's personally had very few issues with his satellite: "Not once have I lost signal due to high winds. In fact, my dish has stood fast with winds in excess of 80 MPH."

Not so fast. What about all of the horror stories of consumers losing power in bad weather?

"It's true that heavy precipitation can cause the signal to fade," Mabry admits. "But this happens far less frequently than outages I experienced when I was a cable TV customer. Rain fade will probably always be a limitation of the system, but the truth is cable companies aren't immune to this phenomenon either."

He adds that when a cable provider has these issues, they're often communicated to their customers with familiar messaging, such as, 'this channel is currently experiencing technical difficulties.'

And he mentions that for satellite TV customers living in areas prone to frequent heavy snow or rain, larger, higher gain dishes are available. "These dishes are capable of receiving a signal in conditions where a standard dish may not."

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Myth #4 - It Isn't Available With Bundling

Again, this is an outdated myth that doesn't hold any weight. It turns out that all of the biggest satellite providers, including DISH and DIRECTV, have bundling options.

Wien says that his satellite service partners with top names like AT&T and Verizon to offer bundling services that cut his costs.

"I don't use a landline but if I wanted to get one, it could easily be added to my current satellite TV service and high-speed Internet plan," he says. "All in, I pay about $10-$15 less each month to bundle my Internet with my satellite than if I paid for Internet by itself."

Grier says cable and satellite providers have to go through the same process when looking for partners to bundle their TV service with.

"Both cable and satellite do not have to partner with anyone. They often choose to select partners that are best for their business model and make sense for the geographic footprint."

Myth #5 - The Satellites Are Unsightly Or Bulky

This used to be true, but now Grier says there are more satellite options to choose from.

"In the past, dish sizes differed based on the programming a customer selected. Today providers have, for the most part, standardized the size of their dishes so that one dish size will work for most programming," he explains.

Additionally, he adds that the dish no longer needs to be installed on the roof.

"Many smaller models can be mounted to the side of your house or be freestanding. The most important thing to keep in mind when deciding where to put your dish is having a clear line of sight to the satellite."

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