TV Services

Device Repair & Troubleshooting

TV Service in areas that are not located near a major cities can be a challenge. There are often choices but none of them good or cost effective. When choosing between cable TV, satellite TV or over-the-air TV service, the choice of Internet service must also be considered. Factoring in the Internet will also raise the question of live TV over the Internet as well.

The choices are confusing to say the least. Choosing the correct service or combination of services and/or channels for your needs that balance TV viewing options, effective Internet Services and costs is what we do.

Satellite Service:

Satellite service is the most flexible and widely offered services available to you. Availability is limited only by the companies that offer installation in your area. There issues with satellite service; it is negatively affected by bad weather to the point that you will completely lose access to TV. If you have heavily wooded lot or large trees in the wrong location, you may not be able to receive satellite service at all.

The dish for receiving TV service cannot be used for Internet service with Internet service often bundled with a third party Internet service provider. Satellite service can be the most costly in the long run due to the price of the TV service and the third party bundle.

Over-The-Air Service:

Over-The-Air (OTA) is the darling of the cut-the-cord movement. The concept is that local TV channels are offer for free and thus TV is free. But the caveats with OTA are many. The ability to receive free TV signals are greatly limited by distance and terrain. OTA signals can also be negatively affected by electron magnetic or RF interference from sources like lighting or electrical utility lines. The ability to DVR free TV has it costs and monthly fees. The hardware required to receive and distribute the signal throughout the home CAN be complex and costly.

The great news is that combining OTA TV with Internet TV services and DVR hardware can result in an a-la-cart type service where you choose the services over the Internet that complement your live OTA service.

This was stated in In-Home Network but it is worth restating here:

“The connection to the Internet is the basis for much of the entertainment options that we have available to us today. In many homes, there are far more hours spent consuming content from the Internet than hours spent watching live TV from cable, satellite or over-the-air TV services. This trend toward Internet services and away from traditional TV services is expect to expand to the point that many of these TV services will disappear in the next 10 years.”