really? i never tried those HD shows on iTunes, but i guess they're 720p quality. according to your experience, they're just 500k lower streaming video?
I don't know what crack he's smoking. They're definitely of good quality, but they're not worth the $$$, especially if you buy the seasons. I got a free episode of The Office in HD, and it is DVD+ quality. But don't even think it matches Blu-ray quality. If you want to compare, find somewhere to watch Lost on Blu-ray then watch one of the iTunes HD episodes. Not bad for a download (and for the size), but it's not even close.
As far as music videos, that would be nifty if they would stop charging $2 for a 5-minute video (compared to $2 for a 45-minute TV show). Drop the music videos to $1.49 and charge $2.49 for HD.
While we're talking HD, ADD AN UPGRADE OPTION. I have some old videos from the early days of iTunes video that look like crap at full size on my monitor. I would like the option to upgrade these to either the present quality or HD.