Yes slimoli, my 55" SDTV is a RPTV. Reflecting back those 3+ years when I had Dish Network the first time and it was good, that was also the time I bought my current big screen.
Before settling on the 55" SDTV, I had actually invested and brought home a 55" Mitsu HDTV set. I forget the model numbers now, it's been too long. Anyhow, I hooked it up to my standard E* receivers and it looked like dog poop. So bad in fact, I returned the Mitsu and ended up buying the 55" SDTV I currently have.
As much as I liked the HDTV concept and 16:9 ratio, I just couldn't deal with the "compression" issue and stretched/fat people views I got with my HDTV set. Plus it cost alot more. So I returned the Mitsu, got a refund and bought my current TV. I paid less than $1k for my 55" SDTV with every intent of upgrading in 4-5 years when HDTV was adapted as the "standard".
IMO we are still several years from this happening. It's actually more like a bastardized time with HD and SD running together the way they are, which makes it a horrible time to invest in new equipment. Obviously we all want the best for the long term, but unfortunately I think that will yield a crappier picture in the short term until HD is the standard.