Sorry, playing with subject lines. Where was I? Oh, yeah...I seem to recall that Comcast makes you pay extra for HD, which came as a shock after the mandated switch to digital...but notice the hair they could split: The world only had to go digital, but nobody said anything about high-resolution digital. And so HD as you and I and any reasonable person would expect it is an extra-cost option.

You really ought to check out what you can get over the air before you upgrade your cable. You're in a major metro with major network outlets, and I'll bet the top 4 at least are broadcasting in real HD (1080). Digital's kind of all-or-nothing, you either get a crystal-clear picture or garbage; but if you have line-of-sight to the transmitter, you'll get good signal. And they sell amplified antennas for under $100 that claim to pull in digital signals in fringe areas, which cost amortized over a year is cheaper than an HD cable upgrade.

Hell, depending on what you want to watch, you might be able to ditch cable completely, and supplement the over-the-air channels with Internet video. Works for me. I'm a convert and I'll bend your ear for a gigabyte if you encourage me. Fair warning.