I myself have stuck with Directv and have found their HDTV quality FAR better than the cable offering (as compared in my neighbours 4 houses down the street). The colors are somewhat bleeding on the cable HD signal while the picture is a bit fuzzy, atleast to my eyes. My immediate neighbour tried cable HD for about 2 weeks and he went back to Directv! Thus, the comparison with my "further" neighbour. We all have good access to the southern sky and in my case my dish is about 20ft high on side/edge of my house- no signal issues. Besides, Directv is adding more sats and content/channels should increase.
Going HD - Should I dump DirectTV?
I am about to make the leap to HD with a plasma. It seems that cable options are better for HD, with just as much programming plus the locals without having to go through the hassle of an over-the-air antenna. The only sports package I get is the MLB extra innings, which is also available via cable. I have seen a couple of threads on the AVS forum about DirectTV adding satelites, requiring a bigger additional dish, etc. The only thing I am unsure about is Tivo. Is Tivo available for non HD on cable? It seems like cable is a better option for HD right now? Any help is appreciated.