The fortunes of the cable TV industry have changed radically over the years. Back in the nineteen seventies and eighties it was a great new way to get TV programming. It provided more channels than over the air TV broadcasts did and it didn't have the susceptibility to interference from weather disturbances that over the air TV broadcasts did. It also provided access to content that simply wasn't allowed to be aired over the airwaves because of FCC regulations. At this time, cable TV seemed like the ideal TV delivery technology and was something to aspire to. Then, in the early nineteen nineties, satellite TV became a viable technology for a lot of people. The price of service had come down to the point where it was competitive with cable, it offered more channels, and the picture was better than cable. The cable TV industry took a big hit in subscribers, but it didn't take long to claw its way back up. The first thing that the cable TV industry did in reaction to the incursion of satellite TV on its market share was convert over to digital transmission. Digital TV has a number of superior benefits to it when compared to the older analog TV transmission format. It offers a clearer picture, the ease of an interactive on screen program guide, and a digitally transmitted channel doesn't take up as much bandwidth as one transmitted in analog format. All of these were essential to gaining back the market share that the cable TV industry had lost to satellite TV. The clear picture of digital TV transmitted over a cable is the equal of a satellite TV transmission and much less subject to interference. The ability to conserve bandwidth was essential to being able to provide more channels, and an interactive on screen program guide makes sorting through all of the available programming options much easier. One technological advancement that's been extremely useful for the cable TV industry is video compression. Just like any other kind of data that's transmitted digitally, video in the form of the TV channels can be compressed so that it takes up less bandwidth. For example, the MPEG-2 compression format takes up much less space than uncompressed video and the MPEG-4 format takes up roughly a quarter of the bandwidth of MPEG-2 video. That can make a big difference in the number of channels that can be supplied over a cable! The technology that has cable TV poised to conquer satellite TV once and for all is Switched Digital Video, or SDV. SDV takes advantage of the fact that information can be transmitted in both directions over a cable. This allows a viewer to request a specific channel and the cable TV provider to just transmit that channel over the cable. Since only one channel is being transmitted over a cable at one time, this technology removes any practical limit on the number of channels that are available. That, combined with cable's superior ability to provide Internet service and video on demand, puts the cable TV industry in a great position to conquer satellite TV.
These tours can be particularly useful for those traveling to an unfamiliar or exotic location, as well as for those who want to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.
There are tour packages to every conceivable destination, and for every possible budget.
There are package tours that specialize in budget accommodations, and there are those that use only the finest hotels and the best restaurants. When looking for a suitable tour, it is important to take your own tastes and budgets into account.
There are several types of package tours available, and it is important to understand the difference, and to choose the type that best suits your interests, travel style and of course your budget as well.
Fully escorted tours Fully escorted tours are generally the most all inclusive. In most cases, everything is included, from airfare and lodging to sightseeing and meals. In most fully escorted tours, the entire tour is tightly structured, and a full, highly detailed, itinerary is provided.
Many people like the structured and all inclusive nature of this kind of package tour, but they are not for everyone. Many independent minded travelers do not care for the rigid structure, or the fact that there is often not time to explore a particular destination more in depth. Many of these more independent minded travelers prefer the next category, the partially escorted tour.
Partially escorted tours As the name implies, partially escorted tours are not as all inclusive as fully escorted ones.
These tours generally take care of transportation from one destination to another and lodging once you get there. Unlike fully escorted tours, however, these partially escorted tours generally provide more free time to explore on your own.
With most partially escorted tours, meals, other than maybe a few, are not included.
The tour often stops at a particular restaurant or eatery, but the meals are generally at the expense of the traveler.
Many travelers prefer the greater freedom this affords, while others prefer the all inclusive nature of the fully escorted tour. It is a choice each traveler must make for him or herself.
Many partially escorted tours also include optional excursions, and these excursions are also at the traveler's expense.
It is important for anyone considering such a tour to get a list of optional excursions, including the price, and to review the itinerary for less costly alternatives that may be available.
Lodging and airfare tours A package tour that includes only lodging and airfare is the least inclusive, least structured, and generally the least expensive, type of package tour available.
This type of package deal generally includes the airfare to your destination, transfer to the hotel, lodging for the length of the stay, and transfer back to the airport upon departure. In some cases a rental car may be included as well.
While these types of packages can be an excellent deal for the adventurous traveler, it is important to take into account the cost of meals, sightseeing tours, etc., and to compare that cost with the cost of a more inclusive package.
It is also important to pay close attention to the location of the hotel, and its proximity to the sights you plan to see. Many tour companies keep the costs of their packages low by using out of the way or unpopular hotels, so it is important to consult a map of your destination and find your hotel before booking the trip.
If you end up in a hotel that is far from the city center, you may end up spending lots of money on taxi far or rental cars. It is often better to upgrade to a hotel that is closer to town, even if that causes the cost of the package to rise.
Both Rachel Smith & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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