Hi, this is my first post, but I've been reading the forum for a couple of weeks. I had Direct tv installed last week with the hd choice extra package for my mitsubishi lcd 46 inch tv. I agree that the 720p does usually provide the smoothest picture- the Maryland-WVU game on Thursday looked great, as did the ND-UM game on ABC Saturday.
My main complaint has been with the 1080i NFL games. I agree with everyone else, that the NBC game looked terrible with all the pixelation, almost unwatchable. However, I also had problems with the CBS games. When the picture was still, such as a punter or kick returner waiting for the ball, or the teams lined up at the line of scrimmage, the picture was incredible. But when the action started, there was lots of pixelation and the picture quality seemed to really drop. It was like this for both the Colts and the Bears games, and was pretty distracting. Is this because I only get my HD locals through Direct TV?
As a side note- I have Comcast Sports net in HD through Direct Tv, and they broadcast in 1080i, and the picture for the White Sox game yesterday was awesome, no pixelation at all.