As streaming services have taken a boom in recent years, and if you still have your cord connected, it is only fair to ask; ‘Is Cable TV better than Streaming’?
Although, cable TV and streaming services both achieve the same goal, the methods by which they accomplish it are vastly different, and that is what makes the selling mark.
The cable companies have long-standing ties with content producers and broadcast video content on their dedicated networks. This system underpins the pay television industry. However, there is no simple way to answer the question we posed earlier. Is cable TV better than streaming? For us, yes, cable TV surely takes the cake.
Why?
Well, allow us to elaborate on some factors that affect our verdict.
The Channel Lineups and Content-Range
While streaming services options allow more flexibility, when it comes to content, cable still has the upper hand over most streaming providers.
Their channel lineup typically runs into the hundreds, with the majority (if not all) of the ‘variant’ channels for networks like sports. This is also why cable costs so much. Their capacity to deliver your programming is predicated on package arrangements with the all-time favorite content networks, and while these may be less expensive per channel, you won’t be able to pick and choose.
Let’s take Spectrum as an example. The cable TV provider offers channels in multiple languages as well for instance German, Chinese, Spanish, Greek, and Hebrew just to name a few. And all the sports enthusiasts are covered here with the elaborate Spectrum canales de deportes lineup. See the array of options we are talking about. This is what we love, the ease of having everything at our disposal with just one connection, and one click rather than switching in between the streaming services for different types of content.
The Money-Saving Bundles
While the initial cost of cable may appear to be higher, most cable companies offer significant discounts if you bundle your subscription with the internet.
However, with cable TV, there are sometimes a variety of hidden charges that streaming alternatives do not have. Even with those additional expenses included with cable TV, a live TV streaming service will almost always cost more, since you have to make a mix and match of the platforms available. You miss out on these potential bundle deals if you choose a streaming service over cable.
Streaming is viewed as less expensive since there are no contracts to sign. Cable, on the other hand, maybe watched on every screen in your house at the same time, even if you have a hundred television sets. You also won’t have to worry about exceeding your data cap using cable. Especially now with Netflix increasing its pace of the password-sharing crackdown (ironic) cable surely seems a reasonable option.
The Mode of Transmission
Cable is a broadcast medium, similar to how local television stations transmit footage over the airways. Cable now transmits data by copper wire rather than signals, and it has long since transitioned from analog to digital.
However, the core concept remains the same. Since the streaming services are dependent on an internet connection only, they offer you mobility. This means that all you require to access a streaming service is the internet and you can watch it on your preferred device.
Even though your program is being streamed live, you may quickly pause or rewind it. This feature is now being offered in cable TV as well, but for this, you will have to purchase a set-top box.
Video Quality
Live cable and satellite TV consistently give higher-quality 1080p and 4K visual definition. The only factor that might bring changes in the quality can be the cable to source distance or maybe bad weather. The distinction can be ignorable to a normal viewer, whereas, on the other hand, a difference between 1080p and 720p might give pixel perfectionists a hard time.
Although some on-demand streaming services can deliver HD and even 4K 1080p video, live TV streaming is somewhat confined to the limitations of 720p. If your internet connection or strong enough, it can drop much lower and even start buffering.
Conclusion
Cable TV and streaming services can surely be compared in every term of technology. Many cable companies do offer specific apps for watching television, somewhat mooting the point of cable TV ever being portable. The mobile apps are making that possible now.
Many streamers would mainly boast the ease of rewinding, pausing, or even recording the content but they are also now also available on cable boxes.
In the end, it is the viewer’s preference as to what ticks all their boxes – for us, it is cable TV!
