A picture may be worth a thousand words, but words truly fail when trying to describe how gorgeous a high-definition picture looks on an HDTV. If you’ve never seen an HD image, the picture looks as improved as when you first saw a DVD after watching VHS tapes for years. Another big difference is the shape of the image. Like what’s shown in movie theaters, the image is wide, not square.

Many people bought an HDTV last year, and others plan to spend their economic stimulus rebate checks on one. But consumers who first see them at Costco, Sears and Target are often disappointed when they plug in their new HDTV at home and find that the picture quality looks only slightly better than their old TV.

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