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.

With all that in mind you would think that HDTV channels would always look best, right? Not necessarily. Some HDTV channels broadcast everything in high definition, but others will broadcast shows that aren't truly high definition. This is because many networks simulcast, or show the same programs on both HD and SD channels. Many programs on the major networks just aren't broadcast in high definition yet. Non-HD shows on high definition channels will not look as sharp as HD shows will as a result. These non-HD shows won't usually fill the screen properly either so you will see those aggravating little bars without some adjustments made to the settings of your television on your part.

And just because you see that little logo saying "available in HD" pop up on your screen doesn't mean that you are getting the HDTV experience. You will want to make sure that you are tuned to the correct HDTV channel to get the full experience. Many cable providers don't offer all that is available in high definition also so this is something to be aware of as well.

Even with all of this in mind HDTV has some great advantages and in the future standard definition analogue will be obsolete. I'm ready for the change since owning a HDTV just isn't what I expected.