I'm not sure who is really responsible for HDNet Movies (as in I know that Time-Warner is behind HBO, Viacom/Paramount was behind Showtime at last check, etc.), but lately I've been quite impressed with the amount of quality movies they've been showing lately.

For movies, HBO has been a disappointment to me for a while now, with many of the movies they run long ago available on DVD and really not worth the time to me to even bother watching.  Occassionally something good slips by, but normally it's more like the recent Fantastic Four, rather than Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers type quality.

Showtime still has some movies, but they are in much the same boat as HBO.  Normally the movie products seem old and are just not that appealing.

Both HBO and Showtime have obviously moved on (for the most part) to showing their own original programs, and while they run one big premiere per week, their premieres aren't the blockbusters they used to be.

Starz is good if you like movies, but DirecTV doesn't offer a High Def version of Starz at this time, and when they do, I'll likely need a new DVR box, rather than the trusty TiVo powered HR10-250 that I currently use (and love).

But... there's this relatively underappreciated little nugget.  A nice niche channel, HDNet Movies.

I've seen several very good films on that channel lately, and have been quite impressed at the quality of the films they are offering, and the variety.  Not old films (though they certainly fill a good part of the programming day with older stuff, but still quality stuff when they do), but relatively recent films.  For example: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.  It was out in DVD just a few months ago (I guess it could be a bit longer, but you get the idea), and then was showing up in the rotation on HDNM.

They've also had a batch of art house stuff, and some documentaries that have been very interesting to watch (including Bloody Sunday).

It's a mixed bag, but for the most part I'm finding more to like on HDNM than I thought I'd ever find there.

While I occassionally think DirecTV's HD package is a bit of a ripoff, thanks to HDNet Movies, I've been less likely to say that lately, and more likely to find something worth watching.  Always a good thing!