If you’re interested in new cable services or your about to purchase a new television set, you may be interested in knowing what the terms “digital cable” and “analog cable” mean  since they will make a huge difference in your decision for service.

Both kinds of cable use signals to transmit pictures. These signals tell your television how to distribute images on your television screen. Analog cable has signals that travel over coaxial cable, which is also known as coax. Coax is made up of copper wire with a thin layer of insulation on the outside. It was on analog cable that the cable television industry was founded.  The downfall of analog cable is the signals that over time degraded by the time they reach their destinations.  This is the cause of the “ghosting” that you see on cable programs.

Digital cable sends signals through fiber lines, which tend to be thinner and have a greater capacity then coaxial cable. These lines are great for high definition transmissions and high speed internet because then can easily send signals. Because the signals are comprised of lines of data that are made up of ones and zeros, they transmit digitally instead of through a cable which produces superior picture and sound quality.

Before making your decision on the type of service you would like know the pros and cons of analog cable and digital cable.

Analog Cable
•    Less expensive in digital cable
•    Available in some areas where digital cable can’t be accessed
•    Fewer available channels
•    Sometimes has “ghosting” caused by disturbances in the analog signal
Digital Cable
•    More channels than analog
•    Better picture quality
•    CD-quality sound
•    On-screen program guides
•    On-demand services, such as movies and special programming
•    Interactive services, such as photo displays and games
•    Parental control features