let's get digital

Some shows were meant to be seen on HD (high definition). For me, those shows generally belong to the Travel Channel and the Food Network, and occasionally NBC. There’s actually this major transition to digital TV programming across the United States starting on June 12, 2009. That means any television set still hooked to an antenna to receive channels will become useless.

The solution? Either get yourself a new digital TV or obtain a converter box that will let you watch digital channels on your analog TV set.

I still have a small TV set in my bedroom that I use just to watch DVDs and transfer videos from my camcorder to DVD format. It’s not set up to watch local TV channels or cable. Then there’s that dinosaur of a TV in our living room that we salvaged from someone that we use only for Wii games (mostly Rockband) and DVD movies.

For most people looking for a cable/internet/phone provider, they’ll look for one with the best deals or promotions. That’s how we ended up with our current provider. It’s better to have all three services on one bill. Charter, on the other hand, has something cool to add to the usual bundle service promo: they’re giving away a free HDTV daily throughout April. New subscribers and existing customers seeking to upgrade are automatically entered for a chance to win a 22” Samsung HDTV or the grand prize: a 52” Sony Bravia HDTV (plus a Sony Home Theater System and Charter Digital Cable with HD service for 12 months)!

Now that’s a deal that’ll inspire anyone to make the smarter digital switch!