What Channels Do You Carry?
The most important question is what channels your cable television company carries. Unfortunately, most cable companies today carry a lot of junk channels: public access, shopping channels, and things you're not interested in. Make sure that the cable company you choose carries channels you want to see.
In addition, scan the movies currently being shown on the movie channels. Which ones, realistically, look like movies you'd be interested in seeing? Is it more cost effective to get movie channels through your cable service or to just rent the movies you want to see through a movie rental store, or even through Netflix or similar online DVD service?
Do You Have Digital Service?
How valuable your movie channels are to you is heavily affected by whether you have digital service in your area. Most cable companies today are moving toward digital service,
which comes in clearer on new high definition (HD) and plasma televisions. Digital service also enables cable television providers to offer a larger and better variety of channels.
Do You Have On Demand?
On Demand services may be the best innovation cable has made since MTV. With On Demand, your cable television station can offer movies to you that you can play whenever you wish.
Typically, you have access to the following services:
- On Demand services for cable outlets like the Discovery channels and music channels.
- Educational services on demand, from history and English classes to guitar and piano lessons.
- An expanded list of premium pay-per-view movies.
- Access to movies on premium channels like HBO on a pay-per-view basis, or access for free if you subscribe to that service.
Imagine: instead of scheduling your day around the movie you want to see, you just sit down at your leisure and watch whatever you want. Instead of being anchored to the television, you can pause your movie and run to the bathroom or take care of the crying baby. It's a remarkable luxury. On Demand services can make your cable television package twice as valuable, and it's normally bundled in with digital services for free. Even if you don't have as many channels, a service that offers On Demand is probably the one you should choose.
What Are Your Current Sales Specials?
By taking advantage of specials, you can save lots of money. Sales specials on premium channels typically give you a discount for six months or a year, which can result in significant savings. Besides this, if you check online, you may find rebates or coupons on your chosen premium channels that can save you even more.
Do not choose your premium channels on the basis of whether they're on sale, however. They are all different, and some are better for singles or couples, while others cater more to families with children.
