It can be true. Not just on LCD tv's either. It can also be true of HDTV tube and plasma sets.

The sets are designed to give you the higher detail that HDTV provides. Unfortunately, that extra detail capability also can show you how poor regular TV can look.

This is not an absolute though. Some HDTV tv's can show a wonderful picture on non-HDTV programming. It depends on some variables. These include signal strength, quality of reception, and size of picture.

I have a 32" Sony Bravia LCD. With a good digital cable feed SD broadcasts are very good and HD is amazing.

It seems to depend on your signal quality. I have 9 cable drops in my house, and when I moved in last year I was terrified at how the picture would look, espesially on my LCD that I put in the bathroom. To my suprise I have a great signal, my LCD looks really good with analog channels, and my 50" SXRD looks amazing when watching analog too. Of course HD is flawless on the SXRD. My last house had a garbage signal with half the drops in the house, and that was only 9 houses away.

we have a 42 inch sony bravia lcd and do not have cable. The air channels are about the same as our tiny old tv and the air HD channels are AMAZING.
-renee

We want to get a 32 inch Sony Bravia. We presently have digital cable service. Will we need to subscribe to the HDTV service to have a decent picture?