HDTV/VCR question

[Otto]

When I eventually break down and buy an HDTV, what will pre-HDTV videos look like on it? Is the information recorded on tapes (and DVDs come to think of it) in terms of the number of lines? Will a pre-HDTV tape look like 525 lines of resolution or however many HDTV is? And will the answer hold true both for pre-recorded commercially released tapes and for tapes recorded off pre-HDTV TVs?

[ubermensch]

last i heard, current VCRs will not work with HDTV. DVDs will, i believe, and a lil box called a line doubler (which makes up for the resolution) makes things look a whole lot better.