No one is being FORCED to do either of the options mentioned.I have used U-Verse at my MIL house and was very underwhelmed by it. The DVR seems light years behind my HWS and the channels don't seem to be arranged with any kind of rhyme or reason. I would have to be saving a ton of money to be forced to live with that on a daily basis.
Personally, if I wanted to see if I liked a product, I would talk with others that have the product, chances are they will let you check it out first.