Here in Ohio Time warner cable is pretty strong. They have a DVR, digital cable and more channels than satelite I think. On the other hand thier price is getting to be outrageous. Directv can give me a comparable lineup to what I have now, at almost 40% less a month. I couldnt belive it. The thing is this rain and snow fade issue. I know you can get a cover now, but my neighbor says he lost his channels quite a bit this last bad winter we had. My long winded question is this: those if you with Directv, how is the performace really? Is the fade problem really as bad as it seems ? thanks for any info.

I wrestled with the same issue. Cox communications out here has 9 HDTV channels but their prices are absolutely ridiculous, so I stuck with Directv. Directv is offering installation for three receivers including a DVR right now if you are interested.

My parents live in KC and they didn't have issues with reception unless the storm was extremely violent and windy. They now use time warner cable for convenience, but I would say the cable goes out just as periodically as the dish; once or twice a year.

If prices were the same, I would have Digital Cable for conveinence of upgrading, but they aren't, so I have Directv. Hey, I'm an Outlaw, aren't we supposed to be value conscious? Also, Directv has NFL Sunday Ticket, which being a KC native, that was really important also.

I live in New York and have had the Dish Network for the past 7 years. Snow on the dish has never been a problem. The only time I lose a signal is when a violent thunderstorm is on its way, not during the storm, and then it only lasts for a few minutes. I am disappointed with EchoStar's HD support, they offer very few channels in HD as compared with Direct.

I too have Dish Network here in Western Chester County, PA. We used to have Comcast in an aprtment complex and it went out at least three times a month for a couple of hours, for no apparent reason.
We moved to the country and had to get the satellite dish (not enough population for cable). It sometimes goes out during thunderstorms and VERY heavy rain. It may go out as much as our cable did (3 times a month), but at least it's for a reason that is discernible, and not for several hours either.
We've been very pleased with the service, although I wish we could take advantage of the free installation with DVR :<...

Thanks for the info. Im going with Directv. Saving $30 a month is to much to pass on, besides right now if I get NFL Ticket, I get all thier channels plus instilation and equipmet -FREE. for 3 rooms to boot. By the way in 10 years my cable only was out 3 or 4 times.