It's not D* that's the competition - it's cable. My neighbor is happily watching everything we have + Starz, Cinemax, and locals (ok, he doesn't have Discovery, but I can only handle the Penguin show for around 30 secs). He's paying around $5/month for his box.
I not expecting Sat to ever get the locals, but Starz and Cinemax are premium channels that should be picked up quickly. We're really losing ground here.
When Charlie decided not to use Superdish for HD I sure hope he had something else in mind (use the wings if necessary).