im buying my first house really soon. which is better in terms of hardware and programing for the price? it'll be used for hd tv programming using HDMI out and i also need hi speed internet. i need the opinions of the pros like you guys. thanks!

You could go with Dish for TV (especially the all-HD Turbo Packs) and either DSL or Comcast for internet.

Direct will give you access to more sports, if that's your thing.

(They all have their different, introductory single or bundle deals - but those don't last forever (6 months to a year, usually). Dish is generally the lowest-priced for TV, and has the best DVR of the 3 - if that matters - and they do have the HD-only packs. To get HD from the others, you have to have (and pay more for) an SD tier first. Dish also has their "dual-tuners", which can also save you some money if you're OK with sending SD to some other sets in the house.)

It's hard to compare cable to satellite because the cable system HD quality and content varies from cable system to cable system. You may want to take a look at the local HDTV info section to see if there is a thread for your DMA, it would put you in touch with other users to get their opinions on the local cable system.

Personally I use Directv for TV and Comcast for Internet because my local Comcast system has yet to upgrade to HD support, they have limited bandwidth to begin with and need to kill the analog tier first. The good is I get a decent select of HD programming from Directv, the bad is it's expensive between the two. I pay extra for Internet because of Comcast's crappy policies. You need to be a cable TV subscriber or you need to pay $15 extra a month for Internet and you get reduced speeds so I pay for the basic tier which is now $18 a month plus the standard Internet fee. Directv between the HD tiers, DVR and extra receivers I have runs me a little under $100 a month.

sorry i didnt give yall enough info. i only have one hd set and i'll need another 1 or 2 sd signals sent to other rooms in the house. i have comcast cable/internet/dvr at the moment. i hate camcast. they are extremely expensive but its my only option at the apartment i rent. when i get the house i'll have the freedom to choose something else if it's better. comcast has technical problems all the time with the tv and internet signals. their hd quality is garbage except espn. i may keep their internet but honestly i have had such terrible customer service and poor quality i would rather switch just to be done with them. thanks for the help so far. please keep it coming.

Plenty of Dish vs Directv threads to read here if you want more info.

As for Internet, cable or DSL would be my first options, satellite would be only be an option if there's nothing else available...

Sports = DirecTV
VOD = Comcast
HD Only Packages = Dish

It's all about content. In spite of all of the complaints you see in these forums, they're both good services. The HD lead will go back and forth. Just pick which package you would get with each and compare them. As others have said if your a big sports fan then you will want Directv.

Sports = DirecTV
VOD = Comcast
HD Only Packages = Dish Network

And a little more:

Slightly better HD image quality for national HD channels = DirecTV
Best local HD image quality = Comcast
Best HD DVR = Dish Network

Best local HD picture is OTA.

DirecTV and Dish do not provide high speed internet. You would still need DSL, cable, satellite internet (like Wildblue, Hughesnet, etc.) or WiMAX service, if available in your area.

Wildblue & Hughesnet should be very last on your list of internet choices.