If you have an HD television, do you need an HD receiver when installing DirecTV or Dish Network?

Question

Or can you use a regular receiver and the TV will take care of the HD itself? Don't a lot of shows broadcast in HD by default?

Answer 1

You only need a HDTV or HD receiver if you have HD on your satellite or cable service.  Even then you can get a box to convert the HD for a standard TV from the satellite or cable service.  

  

    

Answer 2

Well, you do and you don't.

All HDTVs will upconvert standard definiton video inputs. So you can connect a standard/SD satellite box to your HDTV and it'll work just dandy.

However, you won't get any HDTV from it.. those boxes are incapable of receiving or creating a high definition signal.

And yes, many TV shows are broadcast in HD. For delivery over-the-air or over satellite, the local TV station or satellite company will either downscale the HD signal before sending it out in SD format, or they may have the option of receiving an SD feed from the network. In that case, the network may be downconverting, or it may have both HD and SD cameras in use.