Well, it all depends on your source, but I'll tell you what I have. I recently purchased a Sony 34" widescreen HDTV. My primary sources are my Progressive Scan DVD player and my Time Warner Cable 8000HD cable box. When I am viewing an HD channel from from TWC it is displayed in all it's HD wonder and beauty and takes up the entire screen. The settings on my TV allow me to alter the way that almost any signal is displayed - I can change it from Normal to Zoom, etc.
When I zoom a non-HD channel I do notice that it is somewhat distorted so I generally don't make changes, I take whatever the cable box is giving me - which is usually the black bars on the left and right side of the display, although these can be changed in the cable box settings, too.
I don't know if all of this info makessense or has helped you in any way but feel free to ask additional questions. Also, if you are planning to view HD content from a satellite or cable company, try to find a retailer (or go to the local cabel company office) and take a look at it. My local Time Warner office keeps a variety of TV's in their lobby to highlight the various options and has a widescreen tube TV prominently displayed.
Good luck!
Don
When I zoom a non-HD channel I do notice that it is somewhat distorted so I generally don't make changes, I take whatever the cable box is giving me - which is usually the black bars on the left and right side of the display, although these can be changed in the cable box settings, too.
I don't know if all of this info makessense or has helped you in any way but feel free to ask additional questions. Also, if you are planning to view HD content from a satellite or cable company, try to find a retailer (or go to the local cabel company office) and take a look at it. My local Time Warner office keeps a variety of TV's in their lobby to highlight the various options and has a widescreen tube TV prominently displayed.
Good luck!
Don