HDTV containing non-HD programming

[Truk]

Hope this isn't off topic. I just purchased a Sony LCD HDTV. I am very pleased with the quality of those HDTV channels I receive. It seems that some HD channels display non-HD programming and that some HD programs may contain non-HD content within the program. Is that a correct assessment? This is something that might be a bit disconcerting if you turn on an HD channel and it doesn't look as good as you thought it should. So, while a channel might be HD it may not always show HD content? Just to understand, does HD content have to have been created with HD cameras? In other words, while quality may be improved on older programming you can't have HD programming unless it was created that way?

[hdtvlabs]

Hey, Truk

I think that there are some digital TV broadcasts that are not transmitted in HD resolution but rather in EDTV or SDTV. Info on a transmitted signal resolution should be available via your tuner or TV menu.

Of course, there is also content that is not created in high definition. But the good news is that there is a lot of true HD content out there. And all new content created today is created in HD. All sports, all new movies and TV shows are filmed in high definition. Often you can find on the networks' websites what is in HD and what is not. Here is what ABC has to say:

ABC was the first broadcast network to showcase HD, back on November 1st, 1998 with "101 Dalmatians". The list has been growing ever since. Movies, dramas, sit-coms, action packed sporting events such as Saturday Night College Football, NBA Finals, the Little League World Series, and Good Morning America, are some of the programs that you will see in HD. Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy .........

Cheers,
HDTV Labs