Choices for TV Service Still Limited

Compared with wireless phone service or Internet access, television seems a cruelly monopolistic business. Only in a few parts of the Washington area can customers choose between competing cable operators. The two satellite services, DirecTV and Dish Network, do provide an affordable option to cable -- but many apartment dwellers' residences face the wrong way for satellite service.

Other viewers, who live beyond the reach of digital-subscriber-line service but still desire broadband Internet access, find that cable-modem access is their only ticket out of dial-up purgatory. With the surcharges imposed on cable-modem access when purchased without cable TV service, an all-cable solution is cheaper overall.

Viewers not otherwise constrained, however, can easily knock $10 to $20 off their TV bills by opting for satellite instead of cable. The satellite firms also boast a solid track record of introducing such innovations as digital video recorders before most cable operators.

Cable, however, does have a couple of less-obvious advantages of its own. Additional cable outlets, if set up only for basic cable, need not cost anything extra, while additional satellite set-top boxes generally come with their own rental fees. And high-definition TV owners who can't pull in local stations' over-the-air broadcasts with a traditional antenna have no other option but cable, since neither satellite carrier can yet transmit local broadcasters' high-definition feeds. Cable high-def viewers whose HDTVs feature a CableCard slot can also enjoy the old-fashioned pleasure of watching TV without resorting to a set-top box and a second remote.

-- Rob Pegoraro