does anybody have HDTV and a blu-ray player? is there a SIGNIFICANT difference between the resolution of blu-ray and what comes over the satellite? i have the direc-tv HD package and the movies/sports look phenomenal.i see a couple of the low end blu ray players are down to under $200, but with my dvd recorder, they look great too. so my question is, is it worth it to buy a blu ray if i can record HD and burn it to disc?

IMO, the difference between blu-ray and regular dvds is the same differnce between your regular channels and your hd ones. With one exception, older movies aren't as crisp as new releases.

Blu ray discs have slightly better video quality than HD broadcasts. There will always be a little erosion of the HD picture when it is broadcast over cable/satellite--probably not enough to make a difference for many people, but I can see it when comparing my blu ray discs vs. watching HD shows on my TV.

For example, I watched the first season of Mad Men on blu ray and it was pristine. Then I watched one episode of season two on the AMC HD channel and the VQ definitely wasn't as crisp as the blu ray. Plus with the blu ray, you get lots of extras.

I wouldn't say it's like the difference between standard def and high def, but the blu-ray video and audio is definitely better than high def broadcast. Enough to notice, no doubt.