Ever since 18-inch-diameter satellite dishes went on the market last June, dedicated television watchers have been able to add scores of new channels to their viewing menu. But at an up-front minimum cost of $699, that luxury doesn't come cheap.
The new satellite dishes are small enough to fit discreetly outside most houses or apartments. You can receive more than 100 stations beamed from two satellites - compared with about 40 to 50 channels on most cable systems.The range of choices is a boon to movie and sports nuts. And thanks to the digitally transmitted signal, the picture and sound quality are likely to be better than anything you've experienced before.
"It's a wonderful picture," concedes Steve Effros, president of the Cable Telecommunications Association, a trade association for cable television companies, which compete with satellite TV.
Here's a comparison of the costs of buying a satellite dish, subscribing to cable or choosing a middle ground - renting a satellite dish from Primestar, a consortium of cable companies.
- SATELLITE DISH. The basic dish costs $699. The deluxe version, which has more bells and whistles, costs $899. To hook up two television sets to different channels simultaneously, you'll have to buy the deluxe version and spend another $649 for an additional receiver.
Professional installation costs about $150 to $200. An install-it-yourself kit costs $70. You also need an antenna for local network channels.
Bare-bones satellite service is $21.95 a month, but that gets you only about 20 channels. For $8 more, you can get about 10 additional channels, including Arts & Entertainment and CNBC.
For another $8, you can add six more, such as MTV and Nickelodeon. Premium movie channels cost an extra $3 to $27. Pay-per-view movies are $2.99.
- PRIMESTAR. Installation and start-up costs are about $200. A portion of your monthly service bill goes to offset the cost of the hardware. Basic monthly service, which offers about 30 channels - half of which are sports-oriented - costs roughly $30.
Another $4 gets you five additional channels, including country music and science fiction. Premium movie channels cost between $6 and $20 a month. Pay-per-view ranges from about $2.99 to $4.99.
- CABLE. Installation costs range from about $20 to $50. On average, cable subscribers spend about $30 a month for programming.
Even though a similar programming menu costs roughly the same no matter which technology you choose, satellite-dish owners spend about $55 monthly, on average, for service. That's because they have more choices and are usually more avid viewers.