Word: directv
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...same time, however, the world of satellite TV has got itself in a bigger mess than Oscar Madison's bedroom. The only two U.S. providers--DirecTV (owned by Hughes) and DISH Network (owned by Echostar)--want to merge. But the Federal Communications Commission has blocked the marriage on the grounds that it would create a monopoly. It's possible that Hughes and Echostar will resolve that impediment by selling some of their business to a third company, Cablevision, which would then enter the satellite market, but that's far from certain...
...answer depends mostly on the situation in your local TV market. Prices and channel packages vary wildly. Cable companies are in the midst of multibillion-dollar fiber-optic upgrades, which means that some places have better service than others. Meanwhile DISH and DirecTV say that unless they merge, they can't offer local channels--NBC, ABC, CBS, the WB and Fox affiliates, for example--to every American...
...mostly a negotiating ploy and not necessarily a reason for you to hold back on satellite. As long as you live in or near a city, it's more likely than not that you can already pick up local channels via satellite. DISH offers them to 60% of Americans; DirecTV does slightly better, at 67%. (As for your chances of picking up the satellite signal, that's more like 99%, unless you live in a canyon or in the shadows of skyscrapers...
...Every pixel that crosses your satellite dish starts and ends its life as a digital signal. A lot of cable channels are still transmitted in lower-quality analog; you usually have to pay extra for digital channels. As someone who has spent the past year hooked up to both DirecTV and AT&T cable, I can testify that shows on satellite are better-looking than the same broadcasts on cable, even on digital channels. (Then again, AT&T has yet to seed my block with fiber optics...
...uncertainty in the satellite business faze you. DISH and DirecTV are both well-funded services. They aren't about to disappear. Where I live, in San Francisco, they offer better value and a better signal than cable. To get the lowdown in your town, just ask your neighbors...