As the war in video entertainment continues, one thing is for sure: satellite television is here to stay.

When the satellite distributors first began marketing to consumers, the cable industry didn't give their new opponent much thought. Dishes were expensive, they were bulky and their program offerings weren't all that impressive. Cable on the other hand had been around for more than a decade and offered a familiar and reliable solution to home entertainment.

But oh how things have changed.

The satellite industry quickly replaced those bulky dishes with sleeker, smaller systems that could be mounted just about anywhere. Prices dropped, programming grew and pretty soon, switching from cable to satellite TV wasn't such a far-fetched idea after all.

Today, the Satellite TV industry and providers, such as Dish Network, enjoy a steady and continued growth in subscribers and services, gradually closing the gap in video entertainment market share. Where the cable industry has reported an annual growth between 10 to 15 percent, top satellite companies, such as Direct TV, boast a market share increase of just under 30% according to a study from The Media Audit.

So is satellite and providers such as Dish Network really better than cable?

Satellite TV customers seem to think so. Studies show that satellite customers pay an average of $10 less per month than their cable counterparts. Satellite programming is also all-digital, meaning the reception and picture quality is much better than that of traditional analog cable. Cable subscribers do have the option of upgrading to digital but this incurs an additional monthly cost and doesn't guarantee all the channels will be included in the upgrade. And, with the healthy dose of competition in the satellite industry, consumers can be assured of continued competitive pricing. Your cable provider doesn't have any competition. Do you suppose that affects your rate increases?

Satellite TV subscribers also tout a higher satisfaction rating with customer service issues, one of the primary reasons cited for making the move from cable.