Need some VPN advice - which is the best for the money?

With the cable companies starting this Content Controlling System, it seems like the option for me is going to be a VPN which essentially makes me anonymous to my provider.

The three that get the most general approval are:
– Hidemyass
– BT Guard
– privateinternetaccess

Of course, there are others. Each of the top 3 has different price points and hundreds of servers around the world.

What isn’t clear is how good they are at their job – do they really keep things as confidential as they say? How stable are they—are they ever down?

Have any of you used these VPNs (or others) and can you make a recommendation?