At some point, like most of us, we are looking for answers that help us get what we want/need at the best price as quickly as possible.
Usually there are a few choices that involves trade offs. Given the choices where you live it sounds like you basically have two companies offering the services you are wanting. It becomes a little more complicated when you discover that what these companies offer have unique names like
"bundles" "offers" "packages" and where I live they call them " campaigns ". In any event there are these words that describe the
" packages " which include the actual products that you want but in order to get what you want you might be coerced or temped to pay more money if you take one of these bundles which includes things that you basically don't want or need. The logic me thinks has to do with what I call "dope dealer logic " : get you hooked on something at a "special price " for a given time then once you are hooked on the item you didn't originally want they raise the price because you "fell in love" with "Homeland" or Californication" or any number of other shows written for "premium channels".
The surveys they ask you to fill out tells them how long it takes for you to get hooked. So the normal freebie period is 3, 4, or 6 months. They may even include a free DVR for the same period. Comcast now called Xfinity gave me 6 months of free DVR, Showtime and HBO.
It's certainly clear to me that these new premium station shows are indeed in a whole new class of quality of writing. After watching what I call virtually commercial free shows ( commercials come at the end of the program before they give you a taste of what you will find out in the next episode then they hammer you with 5, 10, minutes straight of none stop self promotion of what next great show they are developing. The promo's are HD volume up 12 decibels over the show you just watched Hollywood developed teasers. You ARE HOOKED BABY! Now they will attempt to hook you for as much money as they can get and fools that we are we pay. They know this and it a "free market" you pay in ways that only a capitalist has no guilt charging.
There are ways to purchase only what you want but more often than not they will charge you more for less so it's hard to say no to a bundle for 99.99 than it is to a limp wrist basic tv with the slowest internet speed for 79.99. It just seems like such a good deal to get all that other stuff for 20 bucks more right?
And then you find one day this major jump from 99.99 to 159.99 because you forgot to let them know what you wanted to do after the one year promotion period expired.
When you attempt to call to get things straightened out you will be on the phone for hours talking to people in foreign countries who work from a script of offers to offer you and after hours or maybe days of calling you are happy to accept 139.99 because it seems like such a deal from 159.99. But usually you have to give something back too or "If you agree to take another two premium stations for another year they will give you a 199.99 value for 169.99 and you are ready to thank the lord for such a deal.
In the old days people like this were called snake oil salesmen. Now it's called free enterprise.
One other irony: depending on where you live; a 59.00 Radio Shake roof antenna will give you much better quality HD than cable. Of course you can't watch Californication with a roof antenna or get high speed internet either.
Let us know what you choose.
Good luck!