This maybe happening across the US, but where I live in Ohio Dish Network and DirectTv are both aggessively going after cable customers. This is in part due to Time Warners inabilty to settle a contract dispute with some of the local broadcasters, making these local stations unavailable on cable.
Two weeks ago I left cable and signed up with DishNetwork's DVR advantage promo and felt that I got a pretty good deal. Yesterday I received a promo letter from DirectTv that at first glance looked like a much better deal than mine but after reading the fine print, I'm not so sure.
For the channels I watch most, Direct does seem to have a better basic channel lineup for 29.95 than Dish's top 100 package for $32.99 and Direct throws in local channels for no charge.
Most of the other provisions in the promo are similar to DishNetwork's such as free installation, free upgrade to HD DVR receiver, and premium channels for 3 months free.
The fine print is where it gets confusing. In the main part of the promo it states that all of the packages are locked in at these prices for 12 months. If I am reading it correctly the fine print states that programming, pricing, and terms and conditions are subject to change at any time.
They also state they have 130 channels available in HD, but do not make it clear how much it costs to access them. Also they state their HD DVR receiver supports 1080i picture output, but unlike Dish's turbo HD, they do not make it clear if they can provide a 1080i signal to the receiver.
Maybe all things considered there is not a lot of diference between the two providers, but it can be very confusing for a first time subscriber.
