I don't think that's completely fair to the OP. When I was making the decision, I chose Dish over Direct because Dishes up front costs were much lower for the configuration I needed. Also Dish let me go with no contract, giving me the option to switch to someone else down the road. Those were the deal makers for me.
Now that BSG is about to start its last season, I'm considering Direct for SciFi HD. Their prices for the HD-DVR have dropped since I last looked, which does make them more attractive to me.
Point is, it is a legitimate question for some people.
Trust me i'm no troll right now i have Dish but with the recent issues with amc14 i might want to switch over to DTV. With Dish i have 2 vip722 dual tuner dvrs and a vip 211 receiver total out of pocket expense was $50.00 and 18 month contract. My monthly programming is a $49.99 dvr advantage $10.00 hd essential $7.00 lease fee each receiver and $5.98 dvr fee.
I also have the option of either Comcast or Fios. Just checking my options.