JD - had to read that one twice to see what you meant
Contracts expire, that's about it. I don't think they offer a no contract setup for new customers, if they do you probably have to buy all hardware and install yourself or pay for install, would be very expensive.
Dish offers a no contract service, but it has some upfront additional charges. Dish also offers a pre-paid service, similiar to prepaid cell phones, which DirecTV does not.