Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

After a bit of a delay, Dish Network has confirmed that they will be releasing the DTVPal DVR mid-December.  However, you can pre-order it starting next week.  Originally introduced as the EchoStar TR-50 when it was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show the beginning of the year, the slightly modified HD personal video recorder now has a spiffy new name to match its new look.  Continued after the break.

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Despite uneasy feelings on Wall Stre5et, electronic gadgets are predicted to gain in sales by 3.5 percent over last year’s Q4.  While overall spending is set to decline on holiday shopping, gadgets are somewhat immune.  According the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association), specific gadgets will still do extremely well this holiday season.

Smartphones

Any product that increases connectivity with friends and loved ones will be spent on more heavily according to the CEA report.  Consumers will forgo other luxury spending to get smartphones that can handle e-mail, texting, phoning and even Internet browsing.  Consumers can justify the expense easier as the phone becomes integral to daily life.

See what other electronics can withstand this economy after the break.

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This Tuesday, October 28th, NYC is cutting out analog television for three minutes.  They aren’t pulling any punches; analog signals will go dark between 5:58PM and 6:01PM right in time to mess up most news programs.

If you aren’t aware, on February 19, 2009, all television broadcasts in the U.S. will be digital.  If you (or more likely, your grandparents) have a television without a digital tuner, you will not be able to watch free over-the-air television without a converter box. 

Where did they get the idea to do this?  Maybe from some friends of ours.  Check out more after the break.

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Cambridge Audio just announced today in Denver that they too will be joining the ever popular Blu-ray club by coming out with their version of Blu-ray technology, the 640BD, in Spring 2009.  The player is meant to complement the Azur range of AV receivers, and from the spec sheet/release, it looks like it isn’t too shabbily put together.

The 640BD will have a full set of analog video outputs, full HDMI 1.3 output (which will include bitstream output of all the latest Dolby/DTS tracks), S/PDIF, Ethernet, Toslink and a set of separate, dedicated 7.1/stereo analog outputs. And no…they haven’t put a price tag on this baby yet.

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A while back the FCC started to issue fines to retailers that did not display signs on analog TV’s for sale that essentially read “This TV will not work in 2009 without a converter box.“ Well, the first of the backlash has begin to come about and Best Buy is fighting back, claiming that the FCC has no power to issue these fines.

“Conduct that is accidental, or not known to the organization, is not willful,“ Best Buy says.

Best Buy is refusing their $280,000 fine. They also said that the fines “demonstrate the unreasonableness, if not impossibility, of holding Best Buy to a standard of flawless compliance.“ Whether their appeal will work or not has yet to be determined, but if this is even the slightest bit effective, you can better that other fined retailers will follow suit.

Via [ars technica] Read [FCC Filing (PDF Link)] Read [Best Buy’s Appeal (PDF Link)]

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Do you still use “rabbit ears” to watch your television shows? Was your TV manufactured before March 2007? If so, in case you weren’t aware, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to move all TV broadcasting into the digital spectrum, thus making all analog TV receivers inoperable after February 17, 2009 without a digital converter box. To help spread the news, the FCC is making it mandatory for retailers to inform consumers of the plan to switch from analog to digital signal by labeling televisions that would be obsolete in the new year. Unfortunately, some retailers like Wal-Mart, Sears, Best Buy, Target, and Circuit City (among others) have forgotten to the apply the “consumer alert” label to applicable analog television equipment. As a result, the FCC has issued $3.9 million in fines to the offending stores after warning them 30 days in advance.

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OnStar is going to go all-digital sometime down the road, leaving any analog system users out of luck. The change primarily affects anyone who owns a pre-2002 GM vehicle, some 2002-2004 GM vehicles and some Acura, Audi, Subaru and Volkswagen vehicles with built-in OnStar. It’s a result of a small 2002 FCC decision allowing cell phone companies to shut down analog networks beginning February 2008. Dealers will upgrade some GM 2002-2004 if customers buy a three-year subscription at $199 a year. Otherwise, analog OnStar users will need to convert to digital equipment, if it is even possible for their vehicle. About half of OnStar’s 4 million subscribers still drive vehicles that cannot be upgraded. And, oh yeah, the FCC decision will affect cell phone users, too. At least a cell phone can easily be replaced - Hey, it’s yet another reason to keep readin’ Gadgetell!

UPDATE: Analog OnStar owners furious: Class Action Lawsuit

Read [NY Times] via [Technoride]

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