Agree w/ the previous posts. There are several ways to get into HDTV, you just have to be "prepared" cause it's not straightforward. You'll probably have to do more research than you do w/ the Axiom purchase!
Check the link above to see which Over the Air (OTA) channels you get for free. Do that in combination w/ antennaweb.org to make sure that you're even in the range w/ an antenna. What types of programs do you watch? You'd need to check the respective networks to see if those transmit in HD, not all shows are in HD. AND, not all HD is the same format/ratio/quality/etc.
You can get subscriber HD from DirecTV, VOOM, various cable vendors, etc. Voom seems OK, they have more content, but it's still a small company. Cable vendors can probably get you an HD box for cheap.
What do I have? As of last Thu, I have the "god box", HD DirecTivo. I CANNOT live w/o Tivo, so this was a no brainer for me. Any Tivo user will attest to this. I'd argue that Tivo users are more fanatic than Axiom users. Kinda reminds me of the early Apple Mac days... $$$ yes, but I got a little bit off on sale at Magnolia. There are a handful of HD DirecTV channels, but there's a lot of OTA in the SF Bay Area. The Olympics have been quite good, 6' under was also nice. Anything on HDNet is spectacular (yes, bikini destinations too...), as well as DiscoveryHD. More channels to be added, schedule is TBD. Upcoming is supposedly NBC, Bravo, and Fox.
If you don't watch a lot of the HD channels, it may not be worth it for you. If you want it for sports, you'll definitely appreciate it. I've watched soccer (which I hate) only because HDNet's feed is so clear. Ditto for Formula I racing. However, I can't imagine NOT having DirecTivo for football, or any sports for that matter. How can you forward through all the commercials? Plus, on game day, the ability to flip between 2 games, while pausing as well, is unreal.
BTW, my HD Tivo is connected via DVI to my Panasonic 42" EDTV plasma. HD is still stunning even if it's not a full HD display.
That's my 2 cents...
You can get more info at avsforums.com too.
