and more exclusive channels, MLB NFL ST etc, just asking.

Is it because the Dish CEO has TV chats? Or because a lot of thieves feel guilty and subscribe to dish

Some people prefer the DVRs that Dish has, there is a HD only package that D* doesnt offer. Lower prices if you can get the package just right (although this can go both ways), a few channels that D* doesnt have (vice versa), and a good many premiums that D* doesnt offer.

I sometimes wonder about the same thing, why do people stick to Comcast when they charge $17 per DVR, and carry only about half of the HD channels compared to E* and D*?

There must be a lot of "stupid people" out there, and if a company can make a lot of money off so many "stupid people", why bother trying anything else?:)

In my case it's simply a matter of cost and features.

TurboHD Gold $39.99 (all the HD channels I normally watch; I don't want to watch anything in SD)
Locals $5
DVR Fee $5.98
NHL Center Ice $159/season (Same price for D* and E*, slight edge to D* on HD coverage with MSG-HD)
Cinemax annual sub with auto-pay $0.01/year

With the 722 I can record 3 things at once (1 OTA tuner + 2 SAT tuners), and the overall usability of E*'s hardware is quite good.

I've poked around D*'s site looking at packages because of all of the coverage in the forums here, but I can't find a package that comes close for features & price for the channels I watch.

In my case it's simply a matter of cost and features.

TurboHD Gold $39.99 (all the HD channels I normally watch; I don't want to watch anything in SD)
Locals $5
DVR Fee $5.98
NHL Center Ice $159/season (Same price for D* and E*, slight edge to D* on HD coverage with MSG-HD)
Cinemax annual sub with auto-pay $0.01/year

With the 722 I can record 3 things at once (1 OTA tuner + 2 SAT tuners), and the overall usability of E*'s hardware is quite good.

I've poked around D*'s site looking at packages because of all of the coverage in the forums here, but I can't find a package that comes close for features & price for the channels I watch.

Unfortunately this is about the only arrangement that E* still has a good advantage over all other providers. I am hoping when Feb comes around they will in fact add all the new HDs they say they will add for 09, that will make their TurboHD packs real standalone alternatives, even with the price increase.

For you however already have the TurboHD Gold, a $10 price increase will be significant.

But once you go beyond the first HD DVR, E*'s fees start to add up fast. And once you go beyond 4 to 6 tuners, it becomes almost a no go.

I sometimes wonder about the same thing, why do people stick to Comcast when they charge $17 per DVR, and carry only about half of the HD channels compared to E* and D*?

There must be a lot of "stupid people" out there, and if a company can make a lot of money off so many "stupid people", why bother trying anything else?:)

In my case it isw a rental house and the neighbor has big trees to my south. No view of sat.

I agree on cost, but my Comcast is comparable to DISH on HD, although a different mix (I get AMC and SPEED-HD). I also get a lot of VoD, including HD and it is true On Demand, not the weird pre-download stuff.

Unfortunately this is about the only arrangement that E* still has a good advantage over all other providers. I am hoping when Feb comes around they will in fact add all the new HDs they say they will add for 09, that will make their TurboHD packs real standalone alternatives, even with the price increase.

For you however already have the TurboHD Gold, a $10 price increase will be significant.

But once you go beyond the first HD DVR, E*'s fees start to add up fast. And once you go beyond 4 to 6 tuners, it becomes almost a no go.

Yea, with the increase for $11 more you get the top no premium DirecTV package (includes HD and DVR fee) with more HD in it plus 200+ SD channels. DirecTV is a no brainer for me. But then I guess it all depends what channels you watch. *Most* people still have at least a few SD channels they watch and thus the Dish HD only packages are useless to them. They are niche packages to be sure and mostly just a marketing ploy. But great for those that fall in that niche, but not so much with the price increase.