Man, it sure seems like cable TV companies are all run by the same people. My wife likes to visit family and friends so I tend to find myself dragged off to stay in lots of different people’s homes. Everywhere I go, the cable companies seem to have the same problems with buggy and irritating hardware, inflated prices, and poor reliability. Every time I go visit another relative one of the first things I check is the TV situation. All it takes is one look at the remote control and I know if I will be in satellite heaven or cable TV company hell.

Just last month I was in Utah at my in-laws’ place trying to use the local cable company’s sorry excuse for a DVR. I am pretty quick to figure our new electronic gizmos and it wasn’t long before I understood what the different buttons were supposed to do. The thing was, even once I knew how to use it I couldn’t get over how frustrating and buggy it was. The buttons were laid out awkwardly and I found myself not even bothering with it after a while. I wonder how long it will take for the cable companies to figure out that usability matters to people?

Cable TV Companies are Dying – DirecTV and Dish Network are on the Rise

Don’t get me wrong, when the cable TV companies were starting out they were the neatest things since sliced bread. People loved being able to access more than the two or three channels that used to come in over the ol’ aerial antenna. The thing is though, as time went on technology changed and what was once the cutting edge went the way of the 8-track tape. Today satellite TV is just about universally a better deal, offering a better picture with more channels for less money. Right now, the only use I can really see for the cable TV companies is perhaps offering short term service for people that live in temporary housing or in some high-rise apartment buildings that still have yet to install a building-wide satellite TV system.