I'll move this question over here. Do programs that are being shown in HD also look better in their SD version?
I've seen many SD showings of Hockey games on OLN via Directv and they were some of the worst of what SD has to offer. Dark, muddy and barely watchable. The Ranger game on Monday was different. Almost the best SD picture I've seen in a while. During the game I found out it was also in HD and of course switched over.
So, does HD make the SD feed better? Maybe HD needs better lighting in the arena or something?