Built in Obsolesence:

Those that are still using the big dish get feedback from their existing programmers that their are better alternatives other than the large dish format.  Be aware that the current programmers also own the small dish or DishNetwork, so their bias and motivation to move you out of your dish is a monetary one.  The fact that your current programming can be purchased on a Ala'Carte basis vs. having to buy a package first, (small dish) then pay for additional movies or sports should be an apparent and obvious difference.  Some are being fooled by the free hardware and or installation provided, but this does not make up for the differences in programming that will be paid for thru 10 - 20 year period.  If you are contemplating a move to the small dish, then I recommend that you get your calculator out to determine what your extra expenditures will be?

Now on to the next comparison: The large dish format has higher video resolution, even with the older style receiver (channels 1-24) and something can be said about this obvious difference.  The large dish digital receiver, the 4DTV has the built in dolby  and also has the capability of HDTV provided that you can locate a HDD200 decoder. With this marriage, digital programming as well as the old tried and true analog channels ( with your videocipher module) can be fully utilized.

Programming Differences:

This will take some serious study, and should do this by making a list due to the programming differences between users. 

Hardware Differences:

The large dish components are more expensive, and the upkeep is going to be more involved due to the size of dish.  Most common component replacment is the actuator (dish mover) and also the lnb and servo motor at dish site. Receivers are typically very reliable and do not have problems with large or small formats.

Some Programming has Moved to Small Dish

Fox Sports is not being broadcast on the Cband channels (Through provider NPS) which is going to affect new authorizations now and in the future. This is not good for the Big Dish Market, and hopefully this will change soon?

Final Analysis:

The big dish is less expensive for programming, and there are some changes in the sports packages that may affect the overall future of c/ku band users. Hopefully this will change?