Hey, Toenail..
I recently received a basic Toshiba 51" HDTV, RPTV, I got the HD box, PVR, the whole 9 yards, and I'm loving it...after years of being so focused on audio, I can't believe I ignored the video...now everything looks as big and as nice as it sounds. Not as many channels as I'd like, but that's okay. If you're into XBOX at all, it's a must.
Whether you like it or not, your next tv will probably be HD anyway...it's early on in the game, and there's only upside to the potential (unless the advertisers and cable companies anti-piracy HD into the grave, but that's another issue).

Each technology has it's advantages over the others, tastes and esthetics play a huge role in determining which set "looks" better more than the actual picture quality...no different than anything else we buy.

It doesn't have to cost a lot of money either...I say go for it...(I'm great at spending other people's money)