I finally broke down and bought an HDTV. I bought a Samsung. I bought it because I got such a good deal, I couldn't pass it up. I've been debating about whether to spend the money to buy a new TV since last December when I found out the DVR I bought wouldn't work with my old analog TV. I've had this 27" RCA, an old beater with no AV inputs since I moved back to California in 1998. It works, but the interference with the RF modulator (required for the DVD player) and the cable and the wireless modem was causing the screen to flicker intermittently which was annoying as all hell.

I should have bought a TV a long time ago. The problem was and is that there are so many options and new technology, Plasma, LCD, HDTV, and the TVs are so expensive that the whole process of shopping for one gave me a headache. I would go to Fry's or Good Guys or Costco and look at the sets and be barely unable to tell them apart.

Finally, one of my co-workers came into my cube excited because the TV he was looking to buy was on sale Best Buy. We talked about it. He explained why he was buying that TV. Sounded pretty convincing. I found an even cheaper offer online at Amazon, printed out the page, took it with me to Best Buy and they matched the price. Not bad.

The Samsung is 40" but it seems twice as big as my old TV. It looks far bigger in my living room (sitting next to old TV) than it did in the store (sitting next to much larger TVs). It only weighs about half as much which means I can pick it up without threat of a hernia. Then there's the picture. Some good, some bad.

When watching the handful of HDTV channels that are available, it is amazing. There are about 15 or so. ESPN. Discovery, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, HBO and so forth. Maybe only about ten. They all look fantastic. If you watch a DVD, it's amazing. The picture is crystal clear. However, if you're watching a regular, non-HD channel, it sucks. The picture is soft. Logos and fonts are heavily pixellated. It just looks bad.

Does anyone know what the problem is? Is there some setting I need to change to when I'm watching non-HD programming on my new TV or is this something I'm stuck with until all channels go HD?