I never expected the thread I started to pop up again, but as it has, should report what happened.
First, thanks Sam Stone, for a load of good info in addition to everything else posted. My CRT set, BTW, was HD-ready, with excellent non-HD reception, and the component cables from the DVD made those look grand too.
I contacted my cable company and upgraded the service to digital and HD and got a package that added phone service, for not all that much more per month.
Once got the cable box connected (DVI, component cables, etc), I was astonished at the improvement on almost all channels have tried. As there a couple of hundred, may take a while to check them all.
The picture is extremely sharp, and once adjusted the colors, they are well balanced and true.
Then I switched over to the HD channels and they really knocked my eyes out, they are fantastic! It was well worth all the hassle and tweaking and learning.