I'm sure Best Buy does it just to keep their most expensive TVs looking better than their least expensive ones. I'm not saying there isn't a difference in quality between a Samsung in Magnolia and a Westinghouse out on the rack, but Best Buy will do whatever they can to make that difference as distinct as possible. I've seen in not one, not two, but three occasions a Westinghouse next to a more expensive model, both tuned to the same content, but the Vizio tuned to the SD version, and the more expensive TV tuned to the HD version. I, of course, switched the Westy to HD every time.