"The 4x3 image on a 26'' widescreen is equivalent to a 17'' set! In other words, the 26'' 4x3 set has a 50% bigger 4x3 image.
On the other hand, the 16x9 image on the 26'' widescreen is (obviously) 26'', while the 16x9 image on the 26'' 4x3 HD tv is 23.9'' (2 inches smaller). So the...