...in other words will it be worth my time to upgrade when they get a box that will do DVR with DVI output?
ANSWER: There isn't a really good answer to this. I have the HD D*Tivo box and it's AWESOME. I feed it to my Panny 42" EDTV plasma via DVI. Component is used for my Gamecube and DVD player. Why DVI? Because I chose to have each source go directly to the plasma, thus limiting my plasma inputs. I did this because of screen settings, each plasma input has it's own setting. Even if I share the component input with DVD and Gamecube and it's switched via an AV receiver, each source needs "different" screen settings and I can't do that on a single input. (Hope that makes sense.) I can say from experience that DVI "can" better than component, but component can be adjusted to be VERY close. W/ the HD Tivo's, the DVI picture can show "blotchiness" in dark areas, but in component you can't see this. But other than that, the pic is incredible, even on a non-HD plasma like mine. Each box (source) is going to be different. I know the Dish HD 921 PVR is out, but it appears to have lots of bugs (HD Tivo has some too) and only ONE tuner. Dual tuner on the tivo is a MUST. Which DVR are you using, Comcast? My understanding is that Comcast is NOT HD. The best use of DVI is for HD, if it's not HD, it may not be worth paying the extra $$ to use it.

Another issue to consider is that TVs/Plasmas/LCDs can limit you to what settings you can do per input. For example, on my plasma component input, I can adjust color, contrast, picture, etc. But on DVI, I can't even touch the color settings (w/o going into the hidden menus which I'm afraid to touch). I have my Gamecube on the RGB/Component input and that has even less settings. YMMV.

It seems on first impression that the picture and sound of HDTV are slightly better than what I get out of my DVD. Is that supposed to be the case or do I need a better DVD player?
ANSWER: Yes, that is the case. HDTV will have higher resolution (720p up to 1080i) than a DVD. HOWEVER, that assumes that the channel you are watching truly outputs in HD. Fox HD, for example, does what it calls "widescreen" which is their version of 480p, they don't take full advantage of HD. Although, their NFL and prime time shows look great, although the stories are pretty horrid...

If I digitally record an HD broadcast, when I play it back will it be in HD - are the DVRs that good?
ANSWER: ABSOLUTELY, but ONLY if you have an HD DVR. If you only have a standard def (SD) DVR, it'll be recorded in SD. Also, an SD DVR can't pick up HD channels. You must have an HD receiver.

If you'd like more HD info, check out the HD areas on AVS forums and the Tivo community for additional info.

HD Tivo