Now that you have (or almost have) your own home theater system, which TV service will give you the most bang for your buck: Satellite or Cable? While the vigorous competition between cable and satellite providers may leave customers with the impression that the two services are radically different, the truth is that today they have more in common than they once did. Both now rely on digital transmission of programming, and MPEG-4 AVC technology is making it possible for these TV service providers to deliver high definition programming too.

Satellite providers have already moved to MPEG-4, but most cable TV companies will be there shortly, if they aren’t already. The differences between cable and satellite providers come down more to content and accessibility. Cable usually can only be found in urban/city areas and is harder to get out in rural developments. Cable also tends to have more conservative programming choices, whereas satellite includes more HDTV choices and more adult and foreign programming.  Which service you choose really depends on where you live and what you want (your kids) to be able to watch. In terms of technical quality, they’re both excellent.