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I have been reading with interest all of the thread discussion about leaving D* for FIOS and claimed quality differences between the two, with White Knights for both. As one of the few Forum members to actually have both services (two houses), here's my overly simplistic view for anyone interested:

Overall rule: If you are a sports fan, D* is The One-go no further. Just get D* and keep it. If you need or want good receiver boxes or DVRs, remotes or software interfaces, go no further. Stick with D*. Otherwise, read on.

1. FIOS has a better picture, transmits a higher bit rate and full resolution HD (we can only SEE this difference on our one, newest 1080p set, not on our other sets), has more HD channels (basically all of the national ones), better customer service, more competent installers, does not need multiple cable runs for dual tuners, has no incredibly onerous service commitments worth thousands of $$$$s, doesn't need anything on your house or roof, does not make you pay the capital cost for leased equipment and generally makes you SO HAPPY you switched. And, all at a price generally about thirty dollars a month less for comparable service with more channels (Premier D* package with HD and four boxes vs. ALL channels and HD from FIOS with three HD DVRs). You don't need to plug your boxes into a phone line to start it or keep it, either.

But, FIOS is available to very few and makes an incredible mess in your neighborhood and yard putting it in. FIOS also has audio dropouts, complete losses of service like Comcast did, horrible antique tuning boxes and remotes from Motorola using five year old technology, crappy interfaces, undersized DVR hard drives, and non codeable remotes incompatible with multiple box systems or multi-box programming for whole system remotes like Harmonys or other sophisticated controllers. FIOS boxes do not tune, nor integrate, OTA via your antenna.

You can diminish a lot of gripes about FIOS by buying two or three Series 3 HD TiVos and paying through the nose for boxes and monthly programming. What a great deal that is......

2. DirecTV has the best sports packages on the planet, covers most everywhere, has overall decent service, way fewer outages and dropouts, superb interfaces, better remotes, completely superior tuning boxes and DVRs, is more compatible with custom installations and multiple box systems, and DirecTV offers far more HOPE. (okay, some say via completely false, or misleading, or deceptive statements about HD and programming advances).

But, DirecTV costs more every month (way more) and delivers less, has customers essentially sign a $2500 promissory note to get a $300 box installed (two years programming), slams customers with leased stuff and service commitments even when they say otherwise, blanks out in rainstorms and requires three wires for every DVR with local OTA.

Generally, I'd say if you are a sports fan, or if you need a really good DVR, or remote, or interface menu, or software, or if you have any kind of a sophisticated system (even as simple as having two TiVos or boxes in one room or on one rack), DirecTV is an easy choice.

As is usual in most cases, you can argue either side. The grass is always greener. In general, most people in our neighborhood switched when FIOS became available here, but most switched from Comcast or Time Warnerer as Comcast's successor, so they are ALL happy. The three people I know who switched from DirecTV are mixed. They like the service, superb picture and sound, the lower cost, the great installers and customer service. But, they hate the loss of TiVo, or even the HR 20, programmable or assignable remotes, good menus, 250 gig recording capacities, and reliable transmission service.

The above is an over simplified view, but don't automatically assume the FIOS grass is all that green. I hate DirecTV, but we still have it in one house because it's the only system with hardware and software sophisticated enough to work in our whole house system. Overall, they are not all that bad, but a lot of people get irritated with someone they live with for a long time and start looking for someone better.

Just my view. Others may differ. I for one like the competition, becuase it usually results in better stuff for the consumer. What I'd like to have would be FIOS with D*s sports, hardware and software, with FIOS pricing.