Just as the 1980s were dominated by the "soda war" between Coke and Pepsi, there's now a new clash being waged in America. This time it's between the two major DBS suppliers: Directv and dish network.

The two providers are strangely constant in almost every aspect, and all these resemblances may have you speculating why there are two companies at all. Although these two companies don't differ by much, they're not completely indistinguishable.

• DIRECTV: has been around longer than dish network, and thus it has more customers; however, this is not to say that it's a better system. One exclusive feature of directv is the bone-crunching amount of sports it offers. For the fanatical sports fans, direct tv's NFL Ticket, NBA League Pass, MLB Extra Innings, and NHL Center Ice are all features that broadcast virtually every game of the respective sport.

• DISH NETWORK: One benefit of this service is that it has the furthermost number of satellite bandwidth allocations, which means that they have the prospective to eventually broadcast close to 500 channels. One disadvantage, however, is that dish network does not offer the seasonal sports packages. However, dish network is hyped as having better customer services.

Selecting your provider for directv satellite system is a rough determination because both systems have an expansive range of similar options. The current best offers which we update regularly are listed in the black box to the right. The most sensible decision maker would be to use the cost of the service, but your bill will depend on which package you choose. So the best piece of advice is to think about what characteristics appeal you and get the provider that will meet all or most of your needs.