For decades, the Hollywood glamour machine has been able to dictate who is considered beautiful and who is not. Using soft lighting in TV and movie appearances, and magazine photo shoots, Hollywood has been able to create the impression that some people are better looking than they really are.

[. . .]

HDTV, which provides a picture up to six times clearer than normal television, viewers for the first time can see celebrities as they look in real life. Make-up can only do so much in high-def.

Consequently, as more people get HDTVs, the Hollywood glamour machine might have to go into the shop for a few repairs. Rather than trying to make stars out of ordinary looking people, the studios and networks might have to place their bets on individuals who are naturally beautiful, those who will look great in any setting, including high-def.

"With high-definition television facial imperfections and ageing signs are dramatically visible." He said many celebrities were "scared to death" by the technology.

"New make-up techniques are being worked on and I get e-mails from actors expressing concern because they are going on shows in high definition and it's not like going on regular TV - it's like being naked. You think Cameron Diaz is flawless until you see her in high definition. She looks like a different person."

Swann recently produced a scathing analysis of stars' high-definition looks. They included Demi Moore, whose complexion was described as "coarse and leathery", and Donald Trump, who appeared "puffed up … and covered with an odd mixture of orange and white".

Heather Locklear was cited as "a classic case of the HDTV effect. In regular TV, she still looks great, sexy as ever. But in high-def, the ageing lines and wrinkles are everywhere." Top of his list was Teri Hatcher, the Desperate Housewives actress, who is described as looking "really desperate". Hatcher's forehead is said to have "bulging veins, making it look like a page from a road map".