My ten-year-old television's display is mighty snowy much of the time (when receiving local channels), until I give it a good whack and I guess cause some connections to work properly again. It's humongous and so hard to move by myself. I am getting old and do not want to have to move it. Rather than try to repair it, I am thinking of buying a new, lighter, flat screen TV. I have been keeping an eye peeled for specials at Circuit City, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart. I looked at the latest Consumer Reports article on the subject.
Yesterday at Best Buy a clerk there said buying any of the flat screen TVs meant I would have HDTV. Without cable or satellite with HD, the display would have black vertical bars covering something like three inches on both sides. If I wanted to continue using an ordinary antenna, I'd have to go to a conventional TV with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Can someone please confirm or deny what the clerk said and maybe elaborate? Meanwhile I am googling on the subject.
I do not want cable or satellite or any extra costs. OTOH, I also do not want a huge television to move around.
TIA