I was wondering if it would be futile to purchase a HDTV without upgrading from basic cable to High Definition cable? Will the normal basic cable display so poorly on a 50 inch HDTV that watching it will be pointless?
That's a difficult question to definitively answer. Depends on the television, the strength and cleaness of the cable signal etc. I have Adelphia standard cable and the standard picture on my digital television leaves much to be desired. However, I purchased the set to watch DVDs and HD programming. And from those sources, the picture is nothing short of stunning. I also subscribe to Directv and their normal fare displays considerably better than Adelphia. But even that is not perfect. I actually obtain a better picture from my analog set. I don't watch much standard programming. You need to evaluate your viewing habits and consider that all programming will be going digital in a few years. This could mean improved pictures but don't confuse digital with HD-they are not synonymous. This is the best I can do with your question.
You're wasting your money if you intend to purchase a HDTV and feed it a garbage signal. To me, that would be like buying an expensive sports car, and then filling the tank with moonshine.
Sure, DVDs will look better if you have a progressive scan DVD player, but thats not enough to warrent the purchase if you're going to feed it lousy TV signals.
Either stay standard LowDef, or go HD all the way to make it worth the money. my 2 cents
I just got my Motorola box digital and HDTV and the picture is oustanding. They check for signal strenght coming in and it was ok but not good. They chang some stuff around with great result on the signal.