I've also read that many northern locations including Alaska / Hawaii benefit from a much larger DirecTV satellite antenna to get a more reliable signal through weather conditions. I've seen some places offer 3' and 4' size dishes to help maximize signal strength (vs. the standard 18" size that we use here on the mainland)...

I've been a DirecTV customer for over 6 years now. While not perfect, the picture quality is so much better than the cable signal I was getting, it was an easy decision to switch. The difference in quality is especially noticeable with larger TVs...

Randy