I think the farther away your viewing distance is, the less you'll notice the grain effect. I'm at 10' and don't have a problem with it. (Meaning, I do see it, but it doesn't bother me. It's a very slight grainy texture.) HD still looks fabulous.

I believe the FCC was going to make HD broadcasts mandatory by the end of 2006 (or therebouts), however, they've backed off that a bit in the last year. There's a lot more programming in HD than there was last year and I expect that to continue. From a Dish standpoint, their problem is one of bandwidth. So I don't think you'll see them adding a ton of channels anytime soon. (Unless Dish or Direct TV buy up Voom to increase their bandwidth....and more than likely their fees.)

You'll find some programming on network TV every night that is broadcast in HD and with the 6 or so channels on the Dish, there's usually something to watch.