One man's TUBE, is another man's ION !
It all depends on what you want to trade off for what.
In LA, CBS has no subchannels. (1080i)
NBC (1080i) and ABC (720p) have
both news and weather subs.
Fox and MYnet have none, and are 720p.
Our two PBS stations, are 1080i, with three subs each.
KSCI channel 18, an international independent, has no HD, but SIX 480i channels!
Several other stations have four or five 480i only channels. (no HD)
Some time ago, I logged one Mexican channel, with 480 so beautiful, I swore it was HD.
Just happened to be using the new equipment, in the local studio, with beautiful people, and properly lit.
Many station's feeds are old video tape (or crap satellite) with no sparkle... no snap.
Sometimes when you see crap, it's crap that's being broadcast.
We have such a wide assortment here, with 20+ stations, and 50+ subchannels, it's hard to keep track of which is what. -