Receiving the DTV and HDTV signals over-the-air requires an antenna and a new DTV receiver that can decode the digital signals. In general, an antenna that provides quality reception of over-the-air analog TV signals will work for DTV reception.

If you are a cable or satellite customer, you may need a set-top box to receive DTV signals and convert them into the format of your current analog television, even after the DTV transition is complete. A DTV set-top box also may receive multicast channels and high definition programming and display them in analog picture quality.

Suddenlink this week announced it will add seven high-definition channels to its existing HD lineup in the Eureka area, effective July 16.

FOX 29 KBVU in HD will be available via Suddenlink as an “HD Broadcast” channel, which can be viewed without a Suddenlink HD receiver or cable card if customers have HD televisions sets with a built-in QAM tuner.

TBS HD, USA HD, FX HD, Travel HD and Sci-Fi HD will be added to Suddenlink's “HD Basic” tier of service, which already includes ESPN HD, ESPN HD2 and TNT HD.

Dish Network said it now offers local HD channels in 61 markets, accounting for 68% of the country.

The satellite provider, due to heavy advertising by competitor DirecTV, doesn't have the same level of HD-driven brand recognition. But it has added the local HD channels in the 39th and 47th largest DMAs--Grand Rapids, Mich., and Memphis, Tenn., respectively.

The company will also add local HD in 22 additional markets by the fall, including top-60 DMAs Albany, NY and Scranton, Pa.

Digital television (DTV) is a new type of broadcasting technology that will transform television as we now know it. By transmitting the information used to make a TV picture and sound as "data bits" (like a computer), a digital broadcaster can carry more information than is currently possible with analog broadcast technology.

For example, the technology allows the transmission of pictures with higher resolution for dramatically better picture and sound quality than currently available – called High Definition Television (HDTV) - or the transmission of several "standard definition" TV programs at once – called “multicasting.” "Standard definition" digital TV pictures would be similar in clarity and detail to the best TV pictures being received and displayed today using the current analog broadcast system and TV receivers.

The Better Business Bureau issued a warning about a company advertising "free" digital TV converter boxes.

Converter boxes are needed to turn an analog TV signal into a digital signal.

A company called Universal TechTronics is running ads offering free converter boxes.

The catch -- consumers have to buy a five-year warranty for $59 and pay shipping fees that bring the total of that "free" converter to nearly $100.

The bureau says it's cheaper to just use a government coupon that reduces the converter cost to about $20 per box.

Over the past two years, Toshiba has really elevated its LCD game to compete in the higher-end realm with companies like Sony and Samsung. I was quite impressed with last year’s high-end 52LX177, a 120Hz 1080p model whose performance rivaled that of pricier 120Hz models on the market. This year’s follow-up, the 52XF550, boasts a new implementation of the company’s ClearFrame 120Hz technology and incorporates the Super Narrow Bezel cabinet design. Yet its $3,299.99 MSRP still puts it the lower end of the price spectrum for a 120Hz LCD. Naturally, I was anxious to get my hands on this new TV to see if Toshiba could again prove itself a formidable competitor in the 120Hz category.

Why settle for a two-box sound projector and flat-panel HDTV solution when you can have an all-in-one alternative? The new Mitsubishi ultrathin frame series fulfills exactly this proposition, plus a few other icings, including 120Hz anti-judder processing and digital cable TV capability. Going back to the sound projector, it does seem promising with 16 integrated speakers, though the system could have been even better if it's loaded with an automated audio calibration system.

The LT-46149 and LT-52149 ships in July for the US market at US$3,299 and US$3,699, respectively.

VIA: akihabaranews.com

If you'd like to enjoy high definition TV programs on your new HDTV but don't want to have to pay a monthly fee for satellite or cable, you may be in luck, depending how close you are to a major city.

All of the major networks, including NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, Fox, and a few of the minor networks are currently broadcasting digital standard definition and high definition programs for free over the air from broadcasting towers all across the country. If you live in or near a major city, chances are pretty good you can receive high definition programs with no monthly fee and with a minimal investment in an antenna.

VIA: bigpicturebigsound.com

Sony Corp has announced it will begin the "eyeVio HD Pro" service, which enables posting and sharing of HDTV video files on its video sharing portal "eyeVio," from June 30, 2008, in Japan. Sony has run the eyeVio service since April 2007.

In addition to PCs, users can view video clips uploaded to the eyeVio HD Pro on TVs by connecting Sony's "BRX-NT1" network TV box or "PlayStation 3" stationary game console with the TV, the company said.

Posting HDTV video clips becomes available just by applying for an account to use the eyeVio HD Pro service from the Website. Members can upload HDTV video files of up to 500 Mbytes each. Moreover, members that are allowed to post HDTV video files can invite up to five family members and friends to join the eyeVio HD Pro service.

The KWorld PlusTV ATSC 340U is a USB TV tuner. It can receive both over-the-air digital signals and unencrypted QAM signals (which are delivered via cable). Either way, it's your chance to watch and record HDTV on your Windows PC. Newegg is selling the 340U for an impossibly cheap $14.99 (after a $20 mail-in rebate). Shipping will run you six bucks.

Keep in mind that this is strictly a digital tuner, meaning if you plug in a cable-TV cable, you'll receive only QAM stations. (If you're not up to speed on QAM, check the Wikipedia entry.) What's more, Windows Media Center should be able to detect the tuner if you use an antenna (a small one is included), but it definitely won't if you go the QAM route (that's a WMC limitation). Fortunately, KWorld bundles Arcsoft's surprisingly decent TotalMedia software, which provides full DVR capabilities -- and QAM support.