Wow, previously I had thought that I couldn't tell all that much difference in watching regular analog TV and HD, other than what I thought was marginally better detail. I have an older projection large analog TV that still works fine, so I only have a 22inch HD in another room. I never can tell that much dif watching that one or switching from analog to HD. But those photos are impressive, Joe. Thanks for sharing them. I missed yesterday's KC but I won't miss CK today.
If you have trouble seeing the difference between analog or even digital SD and an HDTV that is really set up properly, then you need your eyes checked. Really.
Even my buddies that have a HDTV and come over to my place always comment on how my set seems so much better than theirs. Well, not all HDTV's are created equally. And IMO one of the very best HDTV's, the one I have, is no longer for sale by Sony: the 200 pound behemoth KD34XBR960, yes, one of the old fashioned CRT sets. And I paid for one of the very best calibrators in the country to professionally tune it to be ideal. Did you know most sets you buy you can't really tune them up properly from the front panel adjustments (aka those adjustments on your remote)? You need to get into the service menu to really make it sing.
If you can get yourself one of these XBR960's on Craig's list or wherever (I've heard of them going for as cheap as 300 bucks), without too much usage, I say go for it if you have a smallish viewing room. A 34" set isn't going to work well in a gigantic room where your viewing distance is say 12+ feet. Then get Gregg from lionav.com to come out and tune it up (it takes him about 2-3 hours). Then also get your viewing lighting correct. It all makes a difference.