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HDTV Guide - Page 3 - Buying an HDTV, Buying Cables, and What to Watch

Pick an HDTV Technology: CRT, Rear Projection, Plasma, LCD

Choose a technology that works best, and looks best for you. Visit a store that you know has a good HDTV signal going into each TV, and see which ones look best for you. Regardless of what people tell you they think the best technology is, pick the one that seems to fit your needs and that looks the best to you.

Looking for a TV 37" or less, look at CRT and LCD
Looking for a TV over 37" at a reasonable price, look at Rear Projection and Plasma.
CRT (Tube) TVs: Good price, clear picture, crisp clarity, can cost $750-$2000. Some people swear by CRT HDTVs, saying they deliver the best quality picture. CRT HDTVs all support 1080i natively. They typically have 700 to 800 lines of resolution. CRT HDTVs are heavy and bulky, have a glass screen which can produce glare. Susceptible to permanent burn-in damage when displaying still images for long periods of time, or when watching a lot of 4:3 TV with black bars on the sides. Some CRTs may only have one Component Video input that supports 1080i, even if it has multiple Component Video inputs.
Rear Projection: Images can be a little darker than other TV technologies, but gives the biggest screen for the money, and can cost $1000-$4000. DLP Rear Projection and LCD Rear Projection are heavy, and can be several inches thick. A 50" LCD Rear Projection can weigh about 70 lbs and can be around 16" deep. Both LCD and DLP rear projection deliver a great picture, and is the cheapest way to get a HDTV with a huge screen.
LCD: thin, wall-mountable, have fixed resolutions, high longevity, low electricity consumption. Can cost $900 to $8000, depending on the size and manufacturer. Picture is incredibly bright and excellent contrast. Most can now be viewed from any angle. LCD is the same technology used on computer monitors and laptops. Most LCDs have high resolutions even at small screen sizes, which means a sharper image. Resolutions are commonly be 1280x720 (true 720p) and 1366x768 (better than 720p), and some 37" and above LCDs can be 1920x1080 (true 1080i). For displaying still images and for use as a computer display or playing games, LCD is the recommended choice. LCDs have no glare because of its plastic screen instead of glass. Has no burn-in issues, but having black bars on the sides throughout the life of the display can cause the side pixels to age differently than the middle pixels. Most have a brightness half-life of around 60,000 hours. Some pixels on a LCD screen may go dead after the first few weeks. If you notice some tiny pixels that remain black at all times, exchange your LCD for a replacement.
Plasma: thin, wall-mountable, fixed resolutions, instantaneous response time, all can be viewed from any angle. Can cost $2000 to $10,000. Can show black/dark colors better than other technologies, and overall the colors appear to be brighter. Can be relatively inexpensive at larger sizes. Usually have rectangular pixels (instead of square ones), commonly with resolutions of 1024x768. Recommend that Plasma not be used with a PC or static images. Susceptible to permanent burn-in damage when displaying still images for long periods of time, or when watching a lot of 4:3 TV with black bars on the sides. Can run very hot and consume a lot of power. Can get altitude sickness at elevations over 5,500 feet above sea level. Have a brightness half-life of around 30,000 to 60,000 hours.
Front Projector: An inexpensive way to get a display above 50", but only works in a dark room or at night. Can easily move between rooms and outside. The technology works like a Rear-projection TV, where a projector has a DLP or LCD image and uses light to project the image several feet away. The general size of the image is proportional to the distance of the projector. Almost all projectors can accept both computer (VGA) input and HDTV (720p/1008i) input. Most projectors such as the Infocus X1, X1a, and X2 are HDTV capable and have a bulb life of around 3,000 hours, look stunning, but are not really true HDTV quality because they are only 800x600 displays (similar in quality to EDTV). But they do deliver a digital picture that looks better than standard TV. The Infocus X3 can do HDTV resolutions though it's 4:3 natively, so it is not as bright with widescreen sources. A true HDTV projector supports widescreen natively, has a 1280x720 native resolution or better, and cost over $2,000. A recommended HDTV projector is the BenQ PE770, has a bulb life of 2,000 to 3,000 hours, and is the only affordable way to get stunning HDTV quality at 50" to 150" diagonal widescreen. Purchasing a real projector screen highly is recommended ($100 to $400). Someone told me that his BenQ PE770 HDTV Projector "looks better than the HDTVs I see in the stores by far, and is 106 inches to boot."

A common issue with Plasma and LCD is the display half life (how long it takes until the brightness is half of its original value) is sooner than CRT and rear projection.

I know a lot of people who strongly feel CRT and rear projection are the best technology, but I personally like LCD. Maybe I like LCD because I'm so accustomed to viewing LCD displays because I use computers so much. Sometimes I wonder if some people are so accustomed to viewing television on an analog display, as the reason why a lot of people prefer the display of CRTs and rear-projection. You know exactly how many pixels you have on LCDs and Plasmas, while CRTs and rear-projection usually say "up to x lines". For example, a CRT that boasts "800 lines of resolution" means it presents an analog display similar to a 1422x800 resolution, slightly better than true 720p.

Most HDTV technologies can be damaged over time by burn-in. There are some steps you can take to minimize the burn-in issues, that are described later in this article. Because of portential for burn-in, anyone with a CRT, Rear-projection, or Plasma may want to stretch the non-HD channels (4:3) to widescreen (16:9) to get rid of black bars on the sides. This will help prevent long-term burn-in, but will widen images on non-HD channels. Most people will only get up to a dozen HD channels, so it's important to figure out if you want to stretch non-HD channels, or have black bars on the sides. I personally don't like stretching an image because I don't like the people on TV look fatter than they should, but I have stretch turned on when I know I will be watching 4:3 shows for a long time.

Most projectors have a VGA or DVI input, use a DVI port or get a Component-to-VGA cable. I found a ComponentVideo-to-VGA cable for my Infocus X1 at a local store for $15. You may need to purchase extension cables that can reach the projector in the back of the room, such as a VGA cable or Component cable. Extension cables come in 25-foot and 50-foot. Signal can degrade over distance, so don't get a cable that is too long for what you need. For VGA, a cable over 50 feet is not recommended.

I purchased a Proview 32" LCD flatpanel HDTV from Costco in July 2005. Its 1366x768 native resolution produces superb quality HD video, is extremely clear, and overall was a solid choice for the price. It has 1 HDMI input, 1 Component Video input, and 1 VGA input. Unfortunately, the VGA input does not support Widescreen VGA, so when I hook up a computer using VGA, it stretches the 4:3 video to 16:9 which looks great for word processing, but horrible with widescreen video such as DVD movies. But that problem was solved by using a DVI-to-Component Video Adapter for the PC, linking to the HDTV with a Component Video cable.

Screen Size

There are several ways to calculate the appropiate TV size based on the size of the room. Getting a 32" to 36" widescreen TV is best if you are sitting around 7-8 feet from the TV. Sitting 10 feet and above would be best with a 40+ inch widescreen TV. Some calculators can be viewed here and here.

With a front-projector, typical screen distance is 1.5 times to 2.5 times the screen width, whereas the viewing distance is more with all other displays.

Sitting too close to a large TV that is not HD can give you a headache because of its lack of clarity. Sitting too close to a large CRT TV with or without a HDTV signal can give you a headache because of its strobe-like flickering, and can cause eye-strain syndrome. Spending too much time looking at a bright screen in a dark room can be unhealthy to your eyes, regardless of its size, so we recommend lowering the brightness from the default setting. But overall, viewing an HDTV signal is much healthier on your eyes especially if you spend time looking at details, such as a ball in play during a sporting event. Rather than squinting to try and see the ball better, you will see everything much clearer in HDTV, so we don't recommend getting a screen that is too large for your room, unless you plan on hosting parties and want to impress your friends with a monster screen.

Most people in my living room sit 7-8 feet from the TV, so my 32" widescreen LCD HDTV is a perfect size. I also have an Infocus X1 projector with a 6-foot wide pulldown screen that I usually only use for movies. I calibrated the projector to produce an image of about 60" diagonal 16:9. The image is definitely too big for the room, but is fun to simulate the movie theater experience for the occasional movies or sports with friends. Even though my projector is not a true HDTV projector (probably 500 or 600 lines), the images from a PC and HDTV look very clear because the resolution is better than a non-HDTV would be, and the source is digital.

Specs to Look For When Picking a TV

These are some simple things to look for when shopping for an HDTV.

All 4 HDTV modes. Get a screen that says it can display all four of these inputs: 480i (SDTV), 480p (EDTV), 720p (HDTV), 1080i (HDTV).
Display Resolution. Look at the supported resolution of the display. We recommend a display of at least 1024x768 for Plasma, 1280x720 for LCD, or "720 lines" or better for CRT/Projection. Note that just because a TV says it is HDTV Compatible or Capable, does not automatically mean it is an HDTV screen. Only the resolutions stated here are actually HDTV. The more pixels the better, with the ultimate best being 1920x1080 or "1080 lines". Most Plasmas use rectangular pixels instead of square ones (like with a 1024x768 display), which reduce the quality of the image a little bit, but that is offset by bright colors and deep blacks on Plasmas. Analog/projection displays, such as rear-projection and CRT do not have a set amount of pixels, but their estimated display resolutions are expressed in lines.
Response Time for LCDs. LCDs can suffer from ghosting (motion blur) effects when their response time is too high. Response time is basically how quickly images can draw on the screen. All Plasma screens have instantaneous response times (0ms), while LCDs often have 8ms, 12ms, or 16ms response times. Lower numbers are better.
HDTV Tuner. Does the HDTV have a built-in HDTV Tuner? Some HDTVs come with an HDTV Tuner, some with a Standard (NTSC) TV Tuner, and some with no tuner. If you plan on using a HDTV Antenna to get free broadcast HDTV, then an HDTV Tuner is required. If you want to use an HDTV Antenna and if your HDTV does not have a built-in HD tuner, then an external tuner box must be purchased separately. If you will only be using cable or satellite TV, then a built-in Tuner will not be necessary and should not be a factor in your purchase. See the "HDTV Tuner" section near the bottom of this page for more information.
Look at the Warranty. Flatpanel (LCD & Plasma) are much more fragile than a heavy tube TV. Plasmas and LCDs may suffer from pixel failures shortly after purchase. Most LCDs and Plasmas come with only a 1 year warranty, so we recommend paying extra for a longer warranty, or use American Express extended warranty service, or purchase the screen from a store that increases the warranty of your purchase, like Costco.
Use only good quality inputs. The highest quality inputs are digital HDMI and digital DVI, which we recommend using for your HDTV. Component Video is an analog input, but still provides superb quality similar to the digital inputs. If you have a choice to use Component Video vs. DVI/HDMI, try DVI or HDMI because it will produce slightly better quality, but most people may never notice the difference. Add up the number of electronics you want to use (DVD player, Computer, TV Receiver, etc) and make sure your HDTV has enough high quality inputs for those devices. Using S-Video and Composite with an HDTV will look horrible.
Get good quality cables. Figure out the inputs and outputs that your home entertainment center will have, figure out which cables you will need, and spend the few extra dollars to get some good cables with good shielding. Usually thick cables are good cables.
Ship, or pick up in-store? Not only can the shipping fees be expensive for an HDTV, but if the carrier does not understand how fragile a TV is, the shipping adventure can reduce the overall life of your HDTV. If you do ship a TV, make sure it has insurance or a good return policy.
Warranty. Most Plasma and LCD screens come with only a 1 year warranty. Most manufacturers offer extended warranty, which you may consider if electronics have a tenancy to break in your home.
Viewing Angle. Measured in degrees, a viewing angle is how far you can sit on either side of the screen before the picture quality is affected. Plasmas all can be viewed at almost any angle, but check the specs of LCDs and CRTs. Having a viewing angle of 170 degrees is the best there is, meaning you can see the display from anywhere in the room. As of October 2005, most HDTV displays have a 170 degree viewing angle, but just confirm that if you are purchasing an older model or if you are suspicious of the brand.
EDTV not recommended by us. Be aware that the majority of affordable Plasma TVs on the market are not HDTV, they are EDTV. EDTV means an HDTV signal that is scaled down to 852x480 (480i/480p native), which basically means the screen is just a flatter, brighter, and cleaner looking standard definition TV. Even if they accept 720p or 1080i input, they will down-convert those formats to a 480p resolution. Install a HDTV signal into an EDTV and it will look much better than standard TV, but is not true HDTV. EDTV is like getting a Ferrari Spider with a 120 horsepower engine - it looks impressive until someone really drives it. Sure it's a lot cheaper and a lot of people want a "cool" looking large TV on their wall, but I always say a hot deal is not about price but about value, and paying so much money for inferior technology is not a hot deal when you can pay a little more and get something that will stand the test of time, in my opinion. Unless you are buying a TV that will primarilly be used with standard TV (non-HDTV), we recommend purchasing an HDTV.

Interfaces, Cables, and Purchasing Cables In Advance

Buying cables online can be a fraction of the price of buying in-store. Not preparing for cables in advance can lead to spontaneous in-store cable purchases which can get very expensive. So we recommend planning out your home theater layout before you purchase an HDTV by figuring out which cables you may need, and purchase then in advance. Besides, laying out your cables before buying a TV will give you an idea of how many of each input your TV will need. We recommend making a list of all the cables that you might need, and mail-order them all at once to save on shipping costs. It's far better to have extra cables that you never use, than to spend time (and gas money) driving to a store to buy $2 cables for $15.

We recommend Monoprice.com as a good online merchant that sells good quality cables at cheap prices.

First, let's look at the inputs and outputs that you may have at home:

DVI: Digital interface for video. DVI can get very confusing because there are five types of DVI connectors, some of which are incompatible with each other.
HDMI: Digital interface for digital audio and video. This is the preferred HDTV input. Designed with HDTV in mind, and has no compatibility issues that DVI has. HDMI does include digital audio on the same port as well as digital video, however people with external/surroundsound speakers will find the TV's speakers unnecessary and won't use the digital audio capabilities of HDMI.
Component Video: A very high quality analog input that supports HDTV resolutions. It's a set of 3 ports commonly referred to as "Y/Pb/Pr", but sometimes referred to as "3-RCA". This is the most popular way of hooking up HDTV. All HDTV screens have at least one set of Component Video ports. Because Component Video is an analog signal, paying extra for thick cables is recommended because it will shield the signal from distortion caused by electronic devices.
S/PDIF Optical Audio: A digital audio port used for Dolby Digital and DTS theater-quality sound, also referred to as Toslink. No HDTV's have this (or need it), but most Receivers have Optical inputs and most HDTV Boxes and DVD Players have Optical outputs. If you get HDTV, note that the stunning HDTV display is only half of the experience. The other half is the 5.1 surroundsound you get with some HDTV broadcasts, when used with a S/PDIF Toslink Optical Cable to your Receiver and 5.1 speakers, it will produce sound you never thought possible on broadcast television.

Those are the only ports that we recommend using on an HDTV. Several other inputs are available, including VGA, S-Video, and Composite Video, but we don't recommend using them on a HDTV setup because their qualities are very poor and will not give you a 16:9 widescreen image. RCA Audio is not recommended, because it will only give you 2-channel analog stereo sound. Some HDTV's have VGA input which are designed for use with a PC, and may not support widescreen resolutions, so check with your HDTV's specs on what VGA input signals it specifically supports.
To help you figure out which cables you will need, here's a breakdown of the more common components:

HDTV Satellite or Cable Converter Box: Most have DVI output and Component Video output. Some newer ones have HDMI video output. Almost all have S/PDIF Optical Audio output. Some have USB output and Firewire output, but we don't yet know how they can be used.
DVD Player: Most have Component Video output and Optical S/PDIF Audio output. Up-convert DVD Players have a DVI or HDMI output.
Receiver: Most receivers have at least one S/PDIF Optical Digital Input, two is recommended.

Look at the inputs on your HDTV and your Receiver, and get some cables such as:

HDMI-to-HDMI cable. If your HDTV Converter Box has a HDMI output and if your TV has HDMI Input, get a HDMI-to-HDMI cable.
DVI-to-HDMI cable. If your HDTV Converter Box has DVI output, get a DVI-to-HDMI cable. A 6-foot cable costs around $7 from Monoprice.
Component Video cables. Sometimes referred to as 3-RCA cables. This is an analog cable, so a good quality cable, such as a Monster Cable, is recommended.
Toslink S/PDIF cable. Monoprice sells some good quality metallic Toslink S/PDIF cables.

Even if you don't need one of these cables, I still recommend buying one of each by mail-order, to have one handy in case you ever need one (like whenever you decide to buy a second HDTV). Cables are so much cheaper online than in-store, so it's best to get more than you need now rather than paying too much at a store later. If you are already buying cables online, mind as well stock up on some more, such as: a second S/PDIF Optical cable, a Serial-ATA cable, a Firewire cable, and a USB Cable. If you have a PC, you may want to buy three 3.5mm-to-RCA cables for hooking a PC's 5.1 analog audio to a receiver. PC users may also want to buy a 6-foot or 10-foot USB2 extension cable for a wireless RF keyboard & mouse, which only have a range of a few feet, so it's best to extend the RF receiver to be close to the couch.

It is strongly recommended that your equipment be OFF while you plug-in and unplug cables & wires. It is possible to damage your equipment if you plug/unplug cables while it is powered on, especially with a digital cable such as DVI or HDMI.

HDCP

HD Copy Protection is included in the signal provided by some cable and satellite networks, and is installed on some TVs. It protects some of the digital content from piracy, while allowing the protected content to be displayed on your TV. It will cause problems if you don't have compliant devices, including any switchboxes that are in the cable path between the source and display.

720p vs 1080i

If your TV has more than 720 lines, I recommend setting your equipment to use 1080i. The image should look better.

I don't think there is much noticeable difference between 720p and 1080i, but try both modes to see what looks best for you. If they look the same, use 1080i.

If you have Satellite or Cable, then the HDTV display format is selectable on your cable box. For my Motorola box, I press the "Menu" button while the Motorola's power is off, and a setup screen comes up allowing me to choose 720p or 1080i as the output format. That menu screen also lets me choose how I want 4:3 (non-HD) channels to display, to keep it at 4:3 (with black bars on the sides), stretch it, or zoom.

If you have a HDTV Tuner, its output display settings are selectable in the tuner's settings.

Burn-In Safety Tips

Burn-in can damage displays that rely on a phosphor coating on the screen. Plasmas and CRTs are the most vulnerable to burn-in. Burn-in can occur when a static image such as when playing games, using a PC monitor, a TV station logo static on the screen for a long time, or side black bars remain on the screen for a long time. Over time, these static images can become etched into the phosphor coating, leaving faint but permanent impressions on-screen. The chance of getting burn-in can be reduced by lowering a display's brightness and contrast. See AVS Forum for tips on how to reduce or eliminate burn-in.

LCD screens do not have burn-in issues, but have their own problem called pixel wear. Pixel wear can occur if you have black bars on the sides too often, the pixels in the center will age differently than the pixels on the sides, making an uneven brightness between the center and the sides.

You can reduce the liklihood of damaging your screen from burn-in and pixel wear by stretching non-HD programming to the full 16x9 widescreen aspect ratio. The images will look stretched wide, but will increase the longevity of your display.

Some TV channels help in the effort to reduce burn-in and uneven pixel wear by using grey side bars when watching non-HD programming. For my area with CBS-HD and UPN-HD, when a commercial, the news, or any 4:3 show is displayed, they convert the black bars on the sides to grey, which help reduce the potential for burn-in on the sides. Channels that have grey on the sites of a 4:3 image help produce a healthier image for your TV, even though the grey color may seem ugly. Some people complain that the grey bars are annoying, but they don't realize it is healthier for their TV to display 4:3 programming with a solid color on the sides other than black.

What Can You Watch With HDTV?

With HDTV you can watch any channel you want, whether it is an HD channel or not. Standard Definition TV will not look nearly as good as HDTV, but will still look better on an HDTV screen than on an old TV. Tivo/ReplayTV/VCR playback will probably look worse on an HDTV screen, because all the distortions, washed colors, and static will be much more noticeable.

Most Cable and Satellite subscribers will have about a dozen true HDTV channels at their disposal. That's not much when compared to the 100-300 other channels available, but more HDTV channels are coming. Below is a list of HDTV channels that can be available to you (note that most providers will only give you 6-15 HDTV channels).

Here is what you can expect to see in HD:

ABC-HD in 720p: Popular 8pm-11pm shows, including Alias, Desperate Housewives, Lost, Commander in Chief, and NYPD Blue. Major sporting events, such as Monday Night Football, the NBA Finals, and the Stanley Cup. Morning news show Good Morning America, too.
CBS-HD in 1080i: Popular 8pm-12am shows, including Cold Case, all the CSI's, Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, Numb3rs, Close to Home, Still Standing, Two and a Half Men, Without a Trace, and Late Show with David Letterman. The Young and the Restless daytime soap is also in HD. Major sporting events, such as NFL games and U.S. Open Tennis.
Fox-HD in 720p: Most 8pm-10pm non-animated shows, including 24, The O.C., Arrested Development, Cops, Prison Break, House, and American Idol. Major sporting events, such as Nascar, MLB Playoffs and World Series, NFL games, and the Superbowl. Fox Saturday afternoon baseball games are in widescreen, but not in HD.
NBC-HD in 1080i: Most 8pm-12am shows, including ER, the Law & Orders, West Wing, Will & Grace, Joey, The Office, Third Watch, Surface, Las Vegas, and the Tonight Show. Major sporting events, such as the 2006 Winter Olympics and Kentucky Derby. The Tonight Show looks spectacular in HD.
UPN-HD in 1080i: Some 8pm-10pm shows, including Everybody Hates Chris, All of Us, and One on One.
WB-HD in 1080i: Popular 8pm-10pm shows, including Everwood, Gilmore Girls, and Smallville.
PBS-HD in 1080i: Every show is in high definition, and all look spectacular, especially the documentaries and nature shows. This is the best channel to show off the quality of HDTV.
Universal-HD (Bravo-HD) in 1080i: Some movies and concerts.
Comcast SportsNet in 1080i: Has local sports games for people in the Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Chicago areas.
Discovery-HD in 1080i: They show high-definition widescreen versions of some shows available on the Discovery channel. 100% of the programming on this channel is in HD, including documentaries, nature shows, and home-fix-up shows. Popular shows available on this channel are American Chopper, Trading Spaces, Monster Garage, Rides, Wired Homes, Jeff Corwin Experience, and Dinosaur Planet. They have a show called Sunrise Earth that airs every morning. This may sound silly, but when I rise in the morning, it's real nice have nature in stunning clarity on the flatpanel HDTV.
Encore-HD in 1080i: Movies in HDTV.
ESPN-HD in 720p: Sportscenter, Baseball Tonight, NFL shows, baseball games, NFL games, and some college football games are in HDTV. All other programming is not in HDTV, but ESPN-HD uses the entire width of the widescreen for its ticker on the bottom. When watching Sportscenter, highlights of games shot in standard TV will appear as 4:3. It may seem weird to switch between 16:9 and 4:3 for the highlight clips, but ESPN does a good job of using the extra space on the sides for cool effects.
Fox Sports Net in 720p: HDTV coverage of some local sporting events, such as NBA Basketball, college football, MLB Baseball, and NHL Hockey. Most regions of the country have their own FSN channel for their region, showing local sports for that region.
HDNet in 1080i: All HDTV quality TV shows include original series and concerts. They show some re-runs of some of the first HDTV TV shows, including Wiseguy, Smallville, Philly, and Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Some old TV shows that were originally shot with high quality film are also available in stunning clarity, including Charlie's Angels and Hogan's Heroes. Some sports, including Nascar, NHL, and MLS games.
HDNet Movies in 1080i: All movies that look great in HDTV clarity, such as Shawshank Redemption.
INHD in 1080i: Lots of original programming in HD, concerts, and some movies. Some people with INHD will be able to watch local sporting events that are available in HD, such as Red Sox games for New England Comcast customers.
MSG-HD in 1080i: Home games of some New York City area teams, such as Knicks, Rangers, Mets, Devils, and Islanders. Some away games may be available on this channel, but may not be in HD.
NBA-HD in 1080i: NBA games in HDTV widescreen clarity.
TNT-HD in 1080i: Some NBA games, Nascar races, TV shows, and movies.
Premium movie channels available in 1080i: HBO-HD, Cinemax-HD, Showtime-HD, Movie Channel HD, and Starz-HD. Movies shot in widescreen will appear in widescreen, which is about 80% of the programming on those channels. The movies often look better on these HD movie channels than on DVD, because they come into your TV in 1080i rather than the 480p DVD resolution. Movies not recorded in widescreen will appear in their original 4:3 format. Most non-movies were filmed in 4:3, such as original programming, specials, and shows, so they will not be in widescreen. The Sopranos, Deadwood, and Rome on HBO are in widescreen HDTV.

Most News broadcasts (local and national) are not in HD or widescreen.

While most 8pm-11pm shows on the major TV networks are in HDTV, most of the (so-called) reality shows that film with handheld cameras are not in HDTV. This includes The Biggest Loser, Big Brother, Wife Swap, The Apprentice, and Survivor. This is because a high quality HDTV Widescreen portable cameras and equipment are very expensive. Few reality shows have invested in HDTV Widescreen production, like Cops and American Chopper have.

CNet has some more good info about HDTV programming. Also there's a great HDTV Gallery of screenshots taken from an HDTV signal, so you can see examples of what shows actually look like.

Sports

All sports are amazing in HD because of their stunning clarity and digital sound.

NFL Football: All are in HDTV with 5.1 surroundsound audio.
College Football: Only a few are in HDTV, depends on the equipment in the stadium and the channel carrying the game.
MLB Baseball: Most stadiums and channels support HDTV. All playoff games are in HD.
NBA Basketball: Most coverage is available in HD, depending on the channel that covers the game.
NHL Hockey: Only some markets are in HDTV. Looks stunning in HDTV, and much easier to see the tiny puck even when players crowd the area where the puck is. Most coverage is available in HD, depending on the channel that covers the game.
Golf: Few golf tournaments are televised in HDTV. The ones in HD treat its viewers with great video and great 5.1 channel sound.
Tennis: Some tennis tournaments are in HD.
Soccer: Some are available on select HD channels.

If you are a baseball fan, most baseball stadiums are capable of broadcasting HDTV, but you need to check your local HD channels to see if you can get them in HD. If your home team's stadium has HDTV broadcasts, note that when the team travels to a stadium without HD, that particular game will not be broadcasted in HD. The following MLB stadiums appear to be the only ones that do not support HDTV as of August 2005:

Tampa Bay
Washington Nationals
Colorado
Detroit
Anaheim Angels
Texas Rangers
Florida Marlins
Pittsburgh
Arizona Diamondbacks

Here are some image examples taken from HDTV broadcasts, courtesy of FeldonCentral.com:

The Best and the Worst of HD

Almost all sporting events look spectacular, especially if they are broadcasted in 1080i. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is probably the best-looking network prime-time TV show in HD. Almost anything on the HD-only channels, especially nature/outdoor/documentaries, look amazing.

On the premium channels, most movies look great and better than that of DVD. Movies with special effects look amazing in HD, such as Lord of the Rings Return of the King.

If something is in HDTV, it is in Widescreen. However just because something is in Widescreen, does not automatically mean it is in HDTV. Some channels, especially some Fox channels, broadcast some shows in Widescreen but only in 480i scaled up to 720p, which means the quality is noticeably poor and suffers distortion affects in the scaling process. For example, Fox News Sunday Morning show on some Fox networks is in Widescreen, but not in HD. Also Fox Saturday Afternoon Baseball games are in 480i Widescreen, and actually can look worse than watching the same game on a non-HD channel. As a test, we watched several Fox Saturday Baseball broadcasts on a 32" LCD 1366x768 HDTV hooked up to RCN HD Cable and on a 30" CRT HDTV hooked up to Comcast HD Cable, and image was noticeably worse than all other sports broadcasts. Fox's Saturday afternoon MLB broadcasts had distorted images, the colors looked washed so textures and details were harder to see, and all white colors looked fuzzy and flickered when next to a color, especially green. Some games were almost painful to watch when players have white uniforms, because white uniforms flicker on the edges with players' white uniforms on a green grass field. The white scores shown on the top of the screen also flicker on their edges. When the camera does a zoomed-out pan throughout the stadium, the fans in the seats look like blobs, kind of like someone used a paintbrush to smear the colors together, rather than other HD broadcasts where we can actually see details. Changing the default resolution of 1080i to 720p in the TV's settings and cable box's settings did not improve our images. Their MLB Playoff broadcasts were in high definition, despite having special effect sounds that are annoyingly louder than the real game sounds.

HDTV Tuners

HDTV Tuners are available in a few forms:

An HDTV tuner can be built-in to a HDTV set
An HDTV tuner box that you can purchase (OTA Tuner)
An HDTV converter box supplied by your cable or satellite provider
An HDTV tuner PCI card for a computer

Each of these tuners are capable of one or both of the following:

HDTV OTA/ATSC: OTA means Over The Air. This is a tuner that accepts free broadcasted HDTV signals (ATSC format), that can deliver digital video clarity and surroundsound audio. You must hook up to an HDTV antenna to receive the over-the-air broadcasts.
HDTV QAM: The signal that comes from a cable jack provided by a cable TV company.

By law, all basic local channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS) must be broadcasted without encryption. That means with the correct tuner device, you can watch and record those channels for free. This includes getting a QAM tuner and hooking it into the cable TV jack on your wall. If you get an HDTV television that has a built-in Tuner, check to see what HDTV signals it supports. If your TV has a built-in NTSC Tuner, that is an old TV tuner (not an HDTV tuner), and can only tune non-HD channels. If your HDTV television does not have a built-in HDTV Tuner (ATSC and/or QAM), then you will need a device to tune HDTV channels, such as a cable box, satellite receiver, or OTA box.

Cable TV boxes provided by your cable company can tune the standard free channels, and have the added benefit of tuning the (encrypted) premium HDTV channels (HBO, Starz, etc). If your television has a QAM compatible HDTV Tuner, then a cable TV box is not necessary. There is no way (that I know of) to tune into satellite broadcasts without using a satellite company's receiver.

If a television's specs say it "requires a set top box" or "HDTV monitor", that simply means a separate HDTV Tuner is required because the TV does not have one built-in, which is very common with flatpanel screens. If you plan on using cable or satellite for HDTV, and if you will be provided with a Converter Box, buying a HDTV without a built-in HDTV tuner is okay and should not be a deterrent. If you do want to use free Over-The-Air HDTV broadcasts, then try to find a TV that comes with a built-in HDTV Tuner.

If you use an HDTV over-the-air antenna, you may be surprised at how many high quality channels you can get, in digital HDTV clarity and 5.1 surroundsound audio. Broadcast stations that are far away from you may give you less quality signal, but for the most part, an HDTV antenna is worth the try. With cable and satellite, you should get the highest quality video. Satellite and over-the-air may lose quality during thunderstorms.

HDTV Audio

Most HDTV Cable and Satellite converter boxes have a S/PDIF Optical Audio output and a Coaxial Digital Audio output. We strongly recommend that you hook your converter box to a Receiver with a S/PDIF Optical Digital Audio cable or a Coaxial Digital cable. Hook up 4 satelite speakers, 1 good center channel speaker, and a powered subwoofer and you will experience excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound audio.

Most people focus heavily on the video aspect of their entertainment system, and forget about the audio. If you are a sports fan, you will love listening to major sporting events in 5.1 surroundsound, which can sound extremely realistic, especially with golf, tennis, and football. If you like movies, most movies shown on basic television and on premium HD channels are in 5.1 surroundsound. If you like drama shows such as CSI, you will feel like you are there with the good surroundsound audio.

Most CRT, Rear Projection, and LCD have built-in speakers. You can use their built-in speakers which produce some sound good, but will not give you the home theater 5.1 surroundsound experience.

When shopping for a Receiver, the Hot Deals Club recommends these brands as the best Receivers on the market (no particular order):

For speakers, we highly recommend Cambridge Soundworks speakers as the best speakers for the price. They are the clearest sounding speakers we've ever heard, and their prices are lower than most other quality speakers on the market. For speaker wire, we recommend spending a few dollars more to get better quality wiring. A Home Depot store is a great place to get good deals on speaker wire.

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