When doing these comparisons, keep in mind what is actually useful rather than what the numbers say. I find it funny that someone in this thread said that they *bet* that DishNetwork will get a HD sports channel and they combine that with another channel that they *bet* will be available on DishNetwork bringing the score to 7 channels to 2 in favor of DishNetwork. Lets break that down ... you cant count a channel that doesnt exist or isnt carried, so right away it is 5-2. There is only so much of a demo loop that the human mind can take before freeking out so it is 4-2 (unless you are Dustin Hoffman in Rainman). While I agree that it is better to have HD-PPV than to not have it, few people really consider PPV to be a channel ... especially when they really only show 2-3 movies per month, plus a huge chunk of people never consider ordering PPV movies, so for the majority of people that pushes the score down to 3-2. If you cant get CBS-HD via antenna AND you qualify for it on DishNetwork, that is a HUGE plus. However, the majority of people either CAN get it OTA or CANT qualify from DishNetwork, so for those people the score goes down to 2-2. Assuming you need to choose between D* and E* it just becomes a matter of preference. Both have HBO-HD so ask yourself if you want Showtime-HD or HDnet? If you want more variety, take HDnet because it has sports, special events, and documentaries. If you need a few more movies above what HBO-HD has, then maybe Showtime-HD does make sence. Unless D* and E* merge, HDnet wont be on DishNetwork for at least 2-3 years. Dispite their track record, there is a better chance that DirecTV will get Showtime-HD and a HD network (CBS/ABC) in that timeframe ... especially with the new satellite going up soon. I'd say that if funds allow, you should either get ALL the providers ... C-Band, DirecTV, DishNetwork, OTA, and anything else that you can legally get. Otherwise, make the choice(s) that make the most sence to your tastes. Hopefully midway thru 2002 D* and E* will have taken care of all the "must carry" issues so they can BOTH concentrate on providing more HDTV!