DirecTV and an outside antenna is the way to go. All the best programming comes in HD over the Air for FREE. All the NFL games, world series, playoff, basketball, CBS everyday . Sports was the reason HD was invented anyways. The OUtside ant is integrated into the DirecTV reciever, so just punch...
If you legally own the programs and the operating system, than there is really no need to back them up. They can be easily reinstalled in case of a system crash. That leaves only data that needs to be backed up. you would only back data once, so once certian file were backed they are marked...
If you are simply going to back up data, why not just use CDRW discs. If you need more, a Cheap DVDRW disc will store close to 5 gigs. A second hard drive is great storage. But I would not trust a hard drive as a backup, due to its mechanical nature. An optical disc can be read by just about any...