Hmmmm...I've read that the PQ with both Dish and Direct TV leave something to be desired.I've got Comcast and pay a fortune for it but the PQ I get on my Sony XBR960 is breathtaking.
I can't wait for Verizon cable to come to my town.I've read that the PQ equals anything else out there and that it's far cheaper than cable...and they offer lightening fast internet.
I prefer DISH, I believe we have about 25 or 30 HD stations, and do not subscribe to HBO/Showtime etc., we never watch them enough to justify an extra $10/mth charge for each.
I have Comcast too. With phone, internet, HD and DVR, my monthly bill is $180.00. We have something like 10 Mbps down here, but I can't wait for FiOS so Comcast has some competition.
IMO...HD via DirecTV is not the best option.
The Picture Quality is not the best and you need to purchase the box (which may be obsolete in a year).
With cable you rent the box and can replace it whenever you want. Plus the HD signal is typically better than Directv.
I've had both...prefer cable today. Will probably look at Verizon Fiber Optic when it becomes available in my area in the next 12 months or so.
I have a 5 year old 51" Sony RPTV in the family room and a 1 year old 27" Westinghouse LCD in the bedroom. About to buy a Sony 32" LCD for the new kitchen.
In my opinion...LCD's are getting better every few months and are now the leading HDTV technology.
Best place to get info on the various types of HDTV's
is the AVS forum...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/
Tons of great info from people who are totally immersed in HDTV.
As someone else said...once you watch a HD Football game on a large screen...you will never go back!
Don't believe everything you read. I had to switch from cable to Direct satellite when I moved out here in the boonies, and my picture quality is much better on satellite than cable ever was.
I don't have HD yet and probably won't get it until prices come down substantially. My son just bought a 42" Samsung HD set, and IMHO considering the very limited HD programming he gets from his cable company at a premium price HD isn't worth the price difference at this point in time.
The HD picture quality with DirecTV is tremendous. Easily equal to my locals in HD. I've noticed that my receiver does a crappy job of upconverting the non-HD channels, though. I switch it back to native resolution if there's something I want the best picture for in non-HD.
I have Verizon coming out next Thursday... can't wait! Am switching from TimeWarner (previously Comcast). I'm told from friends who have switched to FiOS from broadband cable that the upgrade in internet speed is incredible. I've never gotten anywhere near the speed that TW/Comcast advertised (6mb) - last download I started began at 98k - have seen as high as ~750k (once), but that's it.
Price on the FiOS TV appears to be a little better than cable. Cable cost has been about $73/mo (basic with the Starz package - got rid of all other premium movie channels months ago, saved about $15-20/mo. With Verizon I'll get basic, plus their movie package (Showtime, Starz, Encore, The Movie Channel - basically everything except HBO and Cinemax), multi-room DVR and four standard set-top boxes (currently have two) for about $7, plus the taxes and fees. We haven't not gone HD yet - HD set-top boxes are ~$10/mo as opposed to ~$4 for standard.
The upshot is, the upgrade to FiOS TV and Internet should run me pretty close to what I'm paying now but I'm getting an additional two hookups and an quite a few more movie channels, not to mention the internet speed improvement. I'm also told the FiOS TV picture quality is much better than digital cable. We'll see.