1. A television system comprising: a user interface to receive a user selection of a video content item, the video content item being available in a high definition (HD) format and a non-HD format via a broadband network access line; a format selector to automatically select which format of the video content item from the HD format and the non-HD format to retrieve via the broadband network access line, the format being automatically selected based on at least one rule; a receiver to receive the video content item via the broadband network access line in the format automatically selected by the format selector; and a television display to display the video content item received by the receiver and in the format automatically selected by the format selector.