HDTV Experts Step Inside....
 

I'm not very savvy with TVs and have a brand new HDTV in the living room. It's widescreen and it's hooked up with Comcast HDTV.

Now I have a flurry of HD channels up there but when I go to them, most of the shows end up having black bars on the side to cut the picture size down. I understand that my TV is 16:9 ratio while this is in 4:3.

So my question is, isn't HDTV supposed to be 16:9? Shows like SportsCenter are showing up in 4:3. Is this normal and that only certain shows come up in 16:9? If so, how do you know which ones will and won't be?

Are you using Component cables (one cable has 3 RCA-type hookups on each end)? Not the plain old s-video or coaxial connection, right?

Well if you are on a HD station and only get 4/3, check your aspect ratio on your TV, you may have to switch it back and forth depending. Comcast only has like 20 or so (maybe more) HD stations.

Also, not all shows on the HD stations are broadcast in HD... just a side thought.

It's cables. There are 5 in the bunch (red, green, blue for HD and red/white for audio).

It won't let me switch to an aspect that fills up the screen. When I had it on ESPN, the bars on the side said ESPN HD. Maybe I'm just doing something wrong with the TV.

Your tv should have a few different aspect ratios you can switch between. Best bet would be to find the HD stations that are fulltime hd like INHD (660s i think) or HBOHD if you got it, and test on those to make sure the widescreen is working correctly.

Not all HD stations broadcast in HD all the time. If you're only getting a 480 signal then you'll have bars on the sides. Very common.