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When looking around for content to feed that shiny, bright new high definition television, it is amazing to see what the purveyors of network television throw out, expecting the new owner of the product to bite.

To a channel, the major, and not so major, networks put out the idea that we, the public, should be oh, so grateful that they are providing news broadcasts in high definition.

Of course she’s cute and perky, but do you need HD to figure that out?

Is there anything more ridiculous than thinking people wish to see the worst content available on television? What benefits does having HD for anything presented provide? Local news is usually just so much drivel, put out because the station needs to fill time, and gain advertising dollars. Could that be it? No, because somewhat disturbingly, commercials presented during these broadcasts are not coming to you in HD, making for a fairly jumpy presentation on some televisions, as they switch from HD to SD, and then back.

Going back to the news - what is there that needs to be presented in HD? The traffic jam on the freeway, caused by the overturned truck can’t really be so impressive can it? Could it be the victims of another violent crime enumerated by the plodding reporters is somehow causing the public to tune in? Anyone really interested in some blood and gore will tune into Cops, or some other exploitation-presented-as-reality program on the Fox Network.

You know you don’t need to see this in hi-def.

Is the weather map really that interesting? Can you see if the coming hail storm will avoid your neighborhood by looking at the map, presented in HD? Probably not, even if you could get Mother Nature to cooperate.

If you want hi-def weather maps, check out something on the net - this just isn’t that special, or informative.

Perhaps if they showed the storm in progress, with thunder rolling, and lightning - then that new HDTV and subwoofer would be important.

Sports coverage? If you were that interested, you would either go to the event, or watch it on DirecTV, or another sports network, which shows the entire event in HD. The little snippets presented on network television news can’t possibly convey enough information, or create enough joy, to make High Definition important.

Now if there was some real news presentation on television news, like a reporter in the eye of Katrina, or a reporter in the TransAmerica building in San Francisco during the Big One - that would merit an HDTV presentation.

When the Big One hits, and a reporter and HDTV crew are in the T-A building during - Now THAT’S entertainment!

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