TV without pity: under the glare of high-def, there's nowhere to hide.(BUZZ)

AS THE STAR OF THE MOVIE Charlie's Angels, Cameron Diaz solves a kidnapping case, unravels a diabolical murder plot, and captures a criminal while piloting a speedboat. But when HBO first aired the feature film in the high-definition television--or HDTV--format, some watchers were less absorbed by her crime-fighting skills than by her skin tone.

"Cameron Diaz looks like a mess in high-def," says Phillip Swarm, president of the media analysis firm TVpredictions.com. "You can see her acne scars. It's ultimate reality TV. The difference in what you are used to seeing on a movie screen is remarkable."

Makeup artists have always wrestled with technology that …