Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamakiri
Personally, I have no love for the HD picture....it's okay, but it's not something that I would call "vital".
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One thing you would have to get used to if you went back to a 4:3 NTSC CRT TV is the letterboxing of programs broadcast in 16:9 HD, unless your ATSC->NTSC converter box or digital cable box has a zoom feature that expands the picture to fill the screen as most of today's HD flat-panels have. (Early 1980s-vintage Zenith color sets also had a zoom feature that probably could be used to compensate for the size difference between 4:3 and 16:9 formatted images.)
I have also read that the two bars at either side of a letterboxed picture can burn themselves into the screen (especially on CRT sets) if the image is left on-screen for any length of time. However, I watched letterboxed pictures on my CRT set for several years with no damage to the screen, but I always try to zoom the picture to full-screen on my FP set due to the increased risk of damage to the panel, if 16:9 HD images are viewed in LB format. The proper zoom level can be difficult to find, however, when I watch the "CW" network affiliate in Cleveland in HD -- which isn't often. I usually have to settle for a well-overscanned picture that cuts off part of the network logo at the lower right corner of the screen. However, this effect, including the possibility of the image being cropped at full zoom, is mentioned in my set's online instruction manual and is normal, so I don't even think about it.