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Archive for June, 2009

Last Minute DTV Tips

It’s been 13 years since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 mandated the DTV transition that’s taking place today. However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be some growing pains for viewers of over-the-air television. Here’s some last minute DTV tips for those still working on their own transition:

The DTV transition only affects over-the-air broadcasts received through a regular rooftop or set-top (“rabbit ears”) antennas. If you get your television service through satellite or cable providers, you will not be affected. If your TV lists itself as having a DTV (or ATSC) tuner, you are ready, on the other hand, just because the TV says “digital” somewhere on the front does not mean the system is ready.

What’s the difference between an XBOX360 and a computer? Not much these days

This year at E3 Microsoft announced some new additions to the XBOX360 video game console that will make it a more social experience for players. One of the fastest growing social platforms on the web right now is Facebook. Microsoft announced an add-on that uses Facebook Connect to allow XBOX360 players to take gameplay photos and upload them to their Facebook account automatically.

With innovations like this, it begs the question: are personal computers going to become obsolete?

Dealing with Post-DTV Stress

I recently had an opportunity to man a DTV question phone bank on behalf of Geek Squad and I came across a fair number of questions that could be best summed up as, “I know about the DTV transition. I have the converter box. It’s not working. HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLP!”

Here’s some tips for those now trying to troubleshoot their post-DTV setup before the conversion takes place on June 12: