I was going to ask about New Line. Lord Of The Rings in 1080p on Blu-Ray it is then

I wasn't implying HDTV would replace Blu-Ray as a HD video distribution method, just pointing out that they were taking so long, TV was likely to be people first experience of a HD film at home. Although in answer to your question one can pause a movie on television and watch as many times as one wants. 1080i is the current format used by Sky, Channel 4 and the BBC for films, so it's not quite as high quality as the Blu-Ray. Well unless the Blu-Ray is also 1080i:

Was going to buy Planet Earth on Blu-Ray the other day, as it had looked spectacular in SD when it was first broadcast so figured the HD version would be the perfect showcase for HDTV. However reading into it, the BBC have inexplicably opted for a 1080i transfer! The US release is in 1080p so why the hell have they opted for a lower quality release over here?