It would depend on what you watch, because content is king, right?
Question/things to consider:
1) Can you get OTA HD in your area? If so, thad would cover you for most of the networks. In my area, with an outdoor antenna, I can get about 20+ HD OTA channels pretty clearly. Last year I bought 2 old VOOM receivers on ebay for $100. They have OTA tuners so all it needs is an antenna. (If anyone's interested, PM me. It's sitting in my garage.)
2) How much paid/premium HD do you watch? If you can live with OTA, you can still keep your existing receivers for SD.
3) Remember if you go DirecTV, they'll pull you into a 2 yr commitment, which drives me batty.
4) In my area, Comcast has an HD DVR and they don't requiret a contract. So cable is a viable month to month.
5) HTPC is a decent route. Just saw a company just come out with an HDMI card, input and output. I have a USB thumbstick tuner for my Mac Mini and the DVR function is very easy. The mini is part of my HT.
Just some food for thought.
