OK. Isn't
CEDIA supposed to be filled with A/V types? Most of 'em are supposed to be experts too, right? Heck, CEDIA conducts a whole set of classes about audio/video installation. Well, our respect went down at the same time as our self-esteem rose when we laid eyes on four poorly setup HDTVs just inside of the entrance. These plasmas appeared to be setup by Comcast themselves and were running ESPN HD for at least the 4 hours we were around. But somebody forgot to put the Motorola cable box on the widescreen setting so it therefore didn't fill the whole screen and showed black bars on the high-def station. They just looked funny but apparently all the AV guys, and a few gals, didn't mind as no one got up and changed the setting on the cable box. We are going to see if these HDTVs make it through the whole EXPO with the current settings.
NOTE:
If you are at the EXPO, these HDTVs are street level directly in front of the main registration by the mini-bar and black couches. Play along.
DIY, 
posted Sep 13th 2006 10:49PM
"But somebody forgot to put the Motorola cable box on the widescreen setting so it therefore didn't fill the whole screen and showed black bars on the high-def station."
Wouldnt the black bars have been at either side of the TV rather than on the top and bottom if that was the case?
@ Ben Hobbs
A cable box without the widescreen setting would send a letterboxed 1.78:1 image to the screen, and with a full/16:9/cinema/widescreen setting on the televison itself it would result in black bars on top and below the image.
the folks attending are the experts... the ones exhibiting are all sales and marketing! only occasionally do you get the folks there who really know something, like the engineers or tech department. (I should know as i'm usually in the booth)