Novice HDTV Questions (1 Viewer)

1) Is HDTV possible through Broadband cable lines?
2) Can I only receive HDTV using a satellite dish?
3) If I watch standard programing on a 16x9 TV, what size will the picture be and will it harm the TV?
4) Do All letterbox or widescreen DVD's FILL UP the entire screen of a 16x9 TV?
5) My goal is to have the sharpest and largest possible image for the money (similar to a typical movie screen but naturally smaller). Should I get a 4:3 HDTV ready set that is really big i.e. 51"s OR should I get a 16x9 format?

1) Yes. Time Warner has it up and running in various cities around the country. It will take awhile for full implementation. A few others have it as well. I'm not sure about your area of the country.
2) No. You can receive HDTV broadcasts over the airwaves with an antenna. You still need an HDTV capable set-top box and the majority of these are also satellite boxes. For instance, you can buy a Toshiba DST-3000 DirecTV box, hook it up to an antenna and receive your local HDTV stations without activating the satellite service.
3)16x9 televisions have different modes for watching NTSC broadcasts depending on the manufacturer. I believe they all let you watch a standard 4:3 image centered with gray bars on each side to fill up the space. There is a danger of damaging the TV if you watch this mode excessively. Most manufacturers also provide a stretch mode that leaves the center of an image unchanged and stretches the outer edges. There is no danger of burn-in with this mode because the image fills the screen. There are other modes that fill the screen such as a zoom mode which is self-explanatory.
4) Most of them will, but not all. There are a few troublemakers out there.
5)You're going to have to answer this one. You need to consider how much 4:3 viewing you do vs. DVD and HD. You will get many different opinions here. I would go to your local Home Theater store and spend a couple of hours viewing both types and see what fits.
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Depending on your point of view, I suppose non-anamorphic discs might be considered troublemakers to some people with widescreen sets. Obviously then, regardless of the aspect ratio it's not going to fill the screen from side to side, without manipulation, whether it does from top to bottom or not.
Dan
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Ok, guys. The term "troublemakers" was a lighthearted comment. Mark posted that he was a novice and I was attempting not to go into aspect ratios. Robert, can you give me a break?!?! I believe that I gave a simple, accurate answer. Period.
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We're all trying to help, Steve. It's nothing personal. And thanks for answering Mark's questions...we are going to have a lot of people getting into HDTV over the coming months, and many of them will be asking the same questions, over and over...we'll probably have to put together a FAQ!
- Steve

Steve,
A FAQ would probably be a good idea. My aspect ratio comments were not directed at you by btw.
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My remarks weren't meant to give you a hard time personally, Steve. I was just trying to clear up some possible misconceptions. All of us were novices at some point, and HTF is a valuable resource for sharing knowledge.
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That's fine, Robert. No hard feelings. My experiences have been different from yours.
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