How does an HDTV signal come through on my JVC D-series TV which is more than 5 years old ?

Question

I didn't even think it had HDTV capabilities but when I upgraded my cable .. BOOM .. the HD channels come through clearly !

The signal is coming through with the black bars at top and bottom (widescreened) since the TV is standard 4/3. If I switch the input to the componenet video feed, the signal goes out .. but when I leave it through my standard hookup (cable box cable), I get the HD (or what seems to be) signal in widescreen. The picture does seem wo be a bit better than the corresponding NON-HD channel when I switch back and forth.

Answer 1

I'm sure your set is not HDTV, and you are watching HDTV programs, but not in real HD. Your cable box is decoding the HDTV signal, but sending it out as a standard video signal. Depending on how you have set up the cable box, HD content may be letterboxed (black bars at top and bottom) or the right and left sides of the picture cut off. All HDTV receivers are capable of ouputting standard TV (480i) signals on their composite video (yellow connector) or s-video outputs. Some do it all the time, along with the HD signals, others need to be switched to provide that output.

Answer 2

Well, the TV has to support HDTV first. Then you need a tuner if its not built into the TV.
If you looked in the back of a new plasma hdtv, etc. that type of thing, you'd find composite inputs, hdmi, dvi, vga analog, component inputs, etc. but for a tv that old, i'm not sure if it will have sufficient ports and stuff to display hdtv from an outiside source. if the tv is HD, but it doesnt have the necessary ports, you will only be able to catch HD signals thru an antennna and play it on your TV that way

Answer 3

maybe the cable box re-codes the HD signal. into NTSC (which in case you ever wondered means: Never Twice the Same Color)