More and more people are making the switch from cable TV to satellite TV. When there are hundreds of channels to choose from, who can blame them? Satellite TV services offer one of the best means possible to take advantage of digital programming technology. That means you have access to high quality pictures and excellent sound. But with all these extras in terms of quality and service, what types of channels can you really expect from a satellite TV service? Here, we take a look at some of the goodies you can look forward to:

Arts and Entertainment

There are two types of programming you can expect from the arts and entertainment channels in satellite TV. These are the standard-definition and the high-definition. There are about 3 high-def channels in this programming, including HDNet, Mojo and Universal. For standard-def, you could expect around 30 channels, including BBC America, FX, Sci Fi, Classic Arts, Chiller, E!, SOAPNet and Style Network, among others.

Movies and Film

There are three packages offered in satellite TV – Basic, Premium and High-Def. The Basic package lets you access channels such as Turner Classic Movies, MGM HD, Sundance, Fox, Hallmark, American Movie Classics and Independent Film Channel, among others. If you want HBO, Max, The Movie Channel and MoviePlex, you'll need to opt for the Premium package. High-def programming comes courtesy of the HDNet Movies channel.

Probably one of the main reasons that sports fans go for satellite TV is that it offers a huge variety of sports channels to choose from. And indeed there are around 35 channels dedicated to athletics – from college football to professional basketball, from horse racing to tennis, from professional wrestling to extreme sports. You could flip one channel to the next and probably never see the same thing twice. Plus… there are several regional sports networks to choose from.

Family and General Patronage

There are around 6 high quality satellite TV channels that you can access, depending on the plan you chose. These include ABC Family, the Hallmark Channel, AMG TV, ION Television, Guardian Television and America One.

For children and teen-oriented entertainment and learning and for fans of animation and Japanese anime, there are around 18 channels to choose from, including popular channels such as Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Discovery Kids, Cartoon Network, Anime Network, Adult Swim and of course, the Disney Channel.

Learning and Education

Satellite TV providers have over 20 learning channels, including long-time favorites such as the National Geographic, Discovery, Discover Health, Science Channel, Smithsonian, Documentary and Animal Planet. High-def programming lets you access HD Theater from Discovery Communications.

News and Local TV

You can keep yourself updated with the latest events and newsmakers with satellite TV channels such as ABC, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. Business news comes courtesy of CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox Business. Network feeds are categorized as either East Coast or West Coast. For local news TV, there are around 28 channels to choose from.

Home Shopping

If you prefer to shop without leaving the house, satellite TV has a whopping 30 channels to choose from, ranging from HSN to Jewelry to Hollywood Celebrity Products to PIN to QVC to Healthy Living.

Music and Music Videos

Satellite TV services offer 6 audio-only music channels offering digital audio. For music videos, however, there are around 26 channels, with genres such as bluegrass, gospel, classic rock, blues, R & B, country, dance and even folk music.

Foreign Programs

Only in satellite TV can you view channels offering foreign programming in high quality picture. Other than channels programmed specifically for ethnic groups, there are also multiple offerings from countries such as the UK, UAE, Australia, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, India, Philippines, Peru and Argentina.