Just got a full HD television, not particularly for HD content but it was a clearance price and we needed a new TV anyway.

I don't have any devices that output at HD (well, a PC maybe) and just use this with standard definition DVDs and Wii games. However, I've now started using a DVI cable as the TV has a DVI port.

Maybe it's the TV, maybe it's the DVI cable, but something in the combination of hardware totally transformed the quality of the DVDs. The picture now is SO much better, even though in theory it should be the same. I've been rewatching films just to see all the detail that is now visible, things like the fabric on clothing, lines on actors' faces etc.

All this brings up a couple of questions:

- What's going on? How can the same DVDs look a million times better when I switch to a new TV and a new cable?

- Is this why so many people who buy an HDTV think they are watching HD even when they aren't, because even SD sources look better on HDTVs?

* TV or DVD player could be upscaling.
* Better quality production compared with what you used to have
* Improved processing software inside the TV.

All 3 of these mean my Toshiba 32" 720p set looks good from:
* Upscaling HDMI-connected Samsung DVD player
* DVB-T (Freeview) because the built-in decoder is aware it's targetting an HD panel
* It's newer than the cheap 28" widescreen CRT I got from Tesco 10 years ago.