Hughes HSYS-E2532 Gold Series Deluxe Dual LNB DIRECTV Satellite System
Satellite over cable, DIRECTV over dish
We decided to chuck our cable after just six months in our new house due to limited channel selection and a price increase.  Another catalyst for the change was the new requirement that satellite providers also broadcast the major networks' programming (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX).  We chose DIRECTV basically because it was more established.  Little did we realize what a sweet package it was.  Crisp signal, multiple, easy-to-order pay per view movies, and a relationship with TiVo that allowed us to later swap out our satellite receiver for a combo unit with TiVo built in.  Customer service is also much better than our local cable company offered (do they even answer the phone?).  And we own the satellite so if we move, there's no new purchase (beyond reinstallation if you want to have someone else put up the dish).  The guy who did our installation had no problem finding a southwest line of sight to the satellite, and the dish has held up fine through two cold New England winters.  I'd say we lose the signal once every other month at most, and usually only for 15 minutes to an hour (most often in a heavy, windy thunderstorm).  Dual LNB is the way to go - it allows you to produce 2 independent programming signals (as opposed to splitting one).  That comes in handy if you have two televisions and want independent control of each (you'll need a second receiver), OR if you buy a combination DIRECTV-TiVo unit, which will take both feeds to allow you to record one show while watching another or record two different shows simultaneously.<br />Drawbacks to satellite?  There aren't many, but one would be the latency in changing channels (a 2 second response time), so heavy channel surfers might suffer.  Another would be the fact that if you have cable TV and want broadband Internet access, you're already wired.  Broadband satellite Net access is in the very early stages and has had anemic adoption rates so far.<br />As far as satellite receivers go, you can look up and read my reviews of the Hughes HIRD-E25 receiver (good) and the RCA DRD420RE (bad).  I'd also favor Sony, especially if you're going to look into a combination box that incorporates TiVo, which I highly recommend.  <br />With respect to pricing, there are several monthly subscription options - we have Total Choice, which runs about $32/mo.  We pay another $6/mo. for the locals (I believe satellite providers will be required to carry ALL locals - WB, UPN, etc. - in January '02).  Both DIRECTV and TiVo are great deals if you spread them to more than one TV.  An extra satellite receiver is just $5/mo. for independent control of the programming on that second television.  If you go with the combination DIRECTV-TiVo box in a second room, your TiVo subscription is free on the second box (it costs $10/mo. on the first).  We've never had a problem with our bill, which is payable by credit card if you want.<br />As you can tell by now, I wholeheartedly endorse satellite television, Hughes DIRECTV in particular.  I would be remiss not to mention that the ultimate fate of this service is somewhat in question, given DISH network parent Echostar's bid for Hughes.  I love the service the way it is and wonder what a purchase by the other competitive system means for my service.  But the deal has several hurdles in front of it and even if it's successful, you'll just have to buy from the combined company later if you still want satellite.  So, you might as well bite the bullet now if you have decided to go with satellite.