I have to agree. I've been causally shopping for a new tv for the past few months. Anything HD is usually around 2x the price of the equivalent set. With all the crap that comes along with HD channels/DVR, etc. Pass.
You know, back when ISPs tried to charge extra for 56k service, I passed on that as well. Not because I was ignorant, or didn't want the extra speed. It was just easy to see it was a rip off.