directv seems to be overall a better and more economical choice. My mom just went through a switch from Directv to Dish because they promised all this whole home dvr this and that. When apples were compared to apples, she would have eneded up paying more for dish to get what she had with directv.

She still ended up going with dish, with some reduced services but got the whole home dver hopper, which she seems to enjoy.

Dish doesnt carry channels like AMC, so if you like breaking bad or the walking dead, you're SOL.