HDTV: Which comes first, programming or sets?

The number of HD channels is still small. But the recent inclusion by networks of prime-time offerings has put HD on many people's radar. BY FRANK AHRENS Washington Post Service
For much of the past decade, there has been something of a chicken-and-egg scenario with high-definition television, or HDTV: Consumers weren't buying the very expensive HD television sets because there was so little HD programming. On the other side, television networks said it was not worthwhile to produce pricier HD programming because no one was buying HD sets.
Now, that standoff is starting to change.
The number of channels delivered in HD is still small -- usually about a dozen or so on a cable or satellite lineup. But the recent inclusion of the major networks and their prime-time offerings -- American Idol, Desperate Housewives, CSI and ER, among others -- has put HD on the radar of mainstream viewers.