With the dish,the programs can support over 250 channels of programming. All channels are digital quality and offer HD (high definition) television services that are compatible to your program service.

Satellite television fees for Dish Network start at $31.99/month, while DirecTV charges $41.99/month. Both service providers offer free equipment and free installation in up to four rooms.

Cable television fees average $39.99/month for 64 channels, plus $10.95/month to add digital channels. Installation in one room is $39.95, plus $9.95 for each additional room.

DirecTV and Dish Network offers the biggest variety of shows, movies, sports, and news for the least amount of money. You can watch all your shows in digital video and sound with the option of watching them in HD format and recording them on a DVR (digital video recording) receiver.

Cable television outages average 3% to 5% per year while satellite television outages average about 1%. J.D. Power and Associates ranked Dish Network and DirecTV -- higher in customer satisfaction than any of the cable television companies for the last five years.

With cable's monopoly on programming removed, several companies - the Direct TV division of GM Hughes Electronics, RCA, and the United States Satellite Broadcasting division of Hubbard Broadcasting - have entered the marketplace, providing consumers with more channels for slightly less in monthly fees than cable.

Satellite television has always been considered the highest quality reception that there is. The fact is that the satellite television will get a better reception than cable television because nothing comes between the source and the viewer that can interfere with the signal.

Another important benefit is that, in addition to television channels, the consumer can opt to receive 20 channels of digital audio.

Our recommendation is that both DirecTV and DISH Network offer a much more superior television viewing experience than cable television.

Both are a whole lot cheaper than cable and offer superior picture quality and free equipment and installation. Both also offer outstanding customer service compared to local cable providers.

If you're a sports fanatic and you just have to have that certain premium sports package, then I would recommend DirecTV for all of your gaming pleasures. But if you're not big on sports and cost is an issue, then you might want to go with DISH Network.

Also, remember that DirecTV will require a one year commitment, whereas with the DISH Network there is no contract to sign, meaning you can cancel your service at anytime and not have to pay a penalty.

Whichever service providers you choose, you can't go wrong. I highly recommend that you drop cable and switch to satellite television service today. The vastly superior picture quality alone makes it worth the change. It's like heaven watching television.