Snake Doctor

So we spent all this money on the big screen TV (62") and it's a "widescreen"

But when we play DVD's or watch TV shows that are presented in "widescreen format" we have more black space at the top and bottom of the screen than we do on the old square TV screen.

What's up with that? Why even bother having a "widescreen" if it's not the right aspect ratio for widescreen programming?

Something else that pisses me off is that I think the picture quality is much better on my 36" CRT screen in my bedroom than it is on the big TV.
I see big differences in color brilliance and picture sharpness when I walk from one room to the other and the same program is on both TV's.
Do you think this is because regular programming isn't meant to be displayed on a screen that large and when the TV blows it up you lose quality? (Kind of like enlarging an image in photoshop)

I like having the big screen and all but I feel like I've been bamboozled. All of this new picture technology and the picture is worse than what's on the old tube.

</rant>