wyndhy, I have Directv due to some less than pleasant things I had heard about Dish (might have changed, but at the time you couldn't purchase the equipment and always and forever had a rental charge) and I wanted NFL Sunday Ticket which is a Directv feature. I pay about $55 a month for the package I have which is everything but the HBO type channels. Included in that is my charge of $5 for local channels and $5 for a second receiver. I do not have dvr's yet on the two tvs, but I think it's also $5. Mine goes out probably about 3-4 hours a year... and it's typically in terrible storms. The only thing that really bothers me is I instinctively go to the tv to see the live doppler radar during a storm But even with the few disadvantages I'd never go back to cable.