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Satellite dishes: pros, cons
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July 19, 1996: 6:39 p.m. ET
Testers say satellite dishes don't always beat cable, broadcast TV
From Correspondent Greg Clarkin
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) -- More and more people are watching TV via satellite dish instead of cable or broadcast systems.
Having satellite TV used to require a dish the size of an army tank placed in your backyard, but that's not the case anymore.
Now, the dish has shrunk to the size of a large pizza. In fact, it fits snugly on your roof.
Satellite access gives you 175 channels to choose from, while most cable systems "only" offer 50.
But having a home satellite dish involves both pros and cons, as the Good Housekeeping institute learned when it tested the devices recently at CNNfn's request.
On the plus said, said Carla Diana at the Good Housekeeping Institute, the dishes "get picture perfect, better-than-cable quality TV, at any location in the country." (82K WAV)
"The couch potato loves this dish because you get 175 channels," she said. "Sports fans love it; you get every kind of sports from football, basketball, hockey -- there's even a 24-hour golf channel."
But before you throw out your TV's old rabbit-ear antenna, Good Housekeeping found that satellite dishes have serious negatives, too.
First, they're expensive, averaging $800 for the dish, $150 for installation fees -- with monthly program fees as well.
And Diana noted that by law, satellite TV users can't receive local programming.
Finally, if your family already fights over the remote control, satellite TV can lead to war. That's because no matter how many TV sets you own, your whole household can only receive one program at a time with a satellite dish.
If you want to let the kids watch MTV while you watch the news, you have to buy a second dish. 
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