The Truth About HDTV: Standard Definition Cable Programs

About a month ago we purchased our very first high-definition television set expecting to see the best picture quality to date. To say we were disappointed puts it mildly. And here is the truth about HDTV so that you don't make an uninformed purchase like we did.

The sad truth is that all programming is not created equally and most cable channels aren't broadcast with a high-definition signal today. Many people who first watch standard definition programs on their new HDTV set are disappointed by the picture quality. The most important thing associated with picture quality is the source and not the television set itself, so lower-quality broadcasts look bad on these newer sets unfortunately. Also, the fact that HDTVs are bigger and sharper than regular televisions contributes to the poorer standard-definition picture quality. The reason for this is that HDTVs will highlight and magnify the flaws of the low quality sources. Unfortunately now matter how nice the HDTV, standard-definition programs are going to at least look worse than DVD and HD channels, and sometimes it can even look worse than what's displayed on your old non-HD television set. Sadly, this was the case with our new television set. Think about what happens when you blow up a wallet sized picture into an 8X10. The image isn't as sharp which is very similar to what happens with your large screen HDTV.

Something else that is a little disappointing with respect to HDTVs is this issue of the black bars you'll see with a lot of programs. When you are watching an HD-channel you probably won't see any bars at all, but unfortunately for many the majority of channels received and viewed do not carry HD signals. When you watch regular programs on your HDTV, the picture will not fit on to the screen properly. You will see either bars on the side of the picture or the images will be stretched and/or zoomed to fill the screen. Widescreen will always look better on your HDTV than full screen. In many instances you will have to reformat your settings on your television set so that the whole screen is filled when watching standard definition channels.