The end of analog TV broadcasts scheduled for 2011 in Japan will free up plenty of space, and Sky PerfecTV announced today it plans to take advantage, and "become one of the top high-definition TV broadcasters in the world" according to its Chairman Masanori Akiyama. Things kick off with 12 HDTV channels coming online in October, with plans for as many as 100 by 2011, about half the number of channels the service currently offers. It appears Japanese satellite is poised to catch up with other services, but its hard to see many customers opting for this in years to come over VOD rollouts already underway -- unless Sky Perfect (not to be confused with the UK's Sky) decides to slip some SHV loving in there -- just sayin'.

Not like we haven't seen this happen a time or two already in the US, but we'd wager that Comcast's Washington, D.C. market is fairly sizable. Nevertheless, Comcast will be bumping a number of channels -- namely the D.C.-area ABC / NBC / FOX / CBS affiliates -- to digital only. In other words, those relying on analog service will have to upgrade to digital cable in order to continue viewing the affected stations. Granted, some 80% of subscribers in Annapolis and Anne Arundel already have digital cable (so says Comcast), and the changes are being made to open up space for potential HD expansion. Unfortunately, Comcast isn't following in the footsteps of certain other carriers and offering free digital adapters -- but hey, progress has to happen eventually, right?

[Image courtesy of Brent Nelson, thanks Harry]

Moving beyond day-and-date releases via internet and HD video-on-demand, movie studios may be ready to move towards regularly putting movies online ahead of the DVD release date for a premium price -- that surveys say some of us are willing to pay -- but prepare to have your analog hole plugged again. The MPAA petitioned the FCC earlier this month to lift the existing ban preventing cable and satellite providers from remotely disabling analog outputs on their set-top boxes via selectable output controls (SOC). In a bit of ICT redux, the movie studios haven't said definitively that they will use the technology, but insist on having the ability to force anyone wanting to view high definition movies to only see them through an HDCP-protected HDMI output to a compatible TV. The failure of AACS and BD+ to prevent high quality copies isn't a deterrent to the MPAA's push, so while ICT has gone unused on Blu-ray and HD DVD, we're still too fond of our component outs, switchers and homemade cables -- and too wary of a future change in policy -- to support any changes in the law.

Can you believe it? No really, can you believe ATSC has been kickin' around in TV sets and on street corners for a quarter-century now (okay, so maybe just "established" for that long)? Sure enough, the Advanced Television Systems Committee gathered on Thursday to celebrate its silver anniversary and to take a long hard look at what the future holds. Needless to say, quite a few folks will be getting acquainted with the standard now that the analog shutoff is getting dangerously near. The meeting also touched on taking ATSC mobile with ATSC-M/H and the "next generation of services for fixed receivers" with ATSC 2.0. We know, it's probably all you can do to hold back those tears after hearing of this momentous occasion, but once you're over it, why not chime in below with your fondest ATSC memories? Remember that first digital-tuner TV you got? Yeah, good times.

Alright, so we've already covered the step-by-step to acquiring a digital converter box for those looking to keep that analog set kicking for the foreseeable future, but what about folks who just want a vanilla TV that'll hold its own after February of 2009? Suzanne Choney over at MSNBC has put together a checklist that encompasses just about everyone -- from folks looking to snag a non-HD digital set to individuals mulling the decision to buy a unit with an integrated CableCARD. Of course, the obvious question that must be asked when shopping a new set is "Does this thing have a built-in ATSC tuner?" If so, you're golden. Still, it's a pretty handy guide for those sick and tired of wading through paragraphs upon paragraphs of technobabble, so give it a peek if you're still scratching your head.

[Image courtesy of NFM]

As seen previously, the FCC isn't scared to put the financial smackdown on anyone it finds not playing up to the rules of the digital transition, and has dropped about $6 million in fines on 11 companies. Several of the companies fined were retailers it says did not properly mark TVs that had only analog tuners and won't get OTA TV after it's shut off next year. Wal-Mart got dinged for $992k, $1.1 million went against Sears, $712k for Circuit City, $296k against Target and $280k against Best Buy. Syntax-Brillian was one of two companies that caught a charge for importing TVs without a digital tuner after the deadline, two more were fined for V-chip violations, while Panasonic and Philips were among seven others that settled to avoid fines. That probably won't cover all those $40 coupons, but it can't hurt.

[Via Zatz Not Funny & Cable Digital News]

You knew it was coming, but now Verizon's putting the rubber to the road with its effort to phase out the last remaining analog channels on FiOS TV. The carrier will tackle the phase out on a regional basis, starting with New York on April 21st. Those affected should have already received notification of the impending change, as Verizon will be doling out free digital adapters to keep said customers from pulling their hair out in frustration. Of course, it's not missing the chance to offer up more sophisticated set-tops to these very folks in hopes of coaxing them into bigger, clearer packages, but it's not like we're going to argue with Verizon trying to up the HD adoption rate around here.

As February closed, we got word that Comcast users in unspecified parts of New Jersey would be getting nine new HD channels on March 27th. Now, we're finally getting a touch more information on the whole ordeal. Reportedly, Comcast is gearing up to "reorganize its channel lineups in Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties" in order to compress six channel lineups in southern New Jersey into two and to bring AMC, Cartoon Network, The History Channel and Turner Movie Classics to the all-digital side on April 12th. As for Ocean County, Cartoon Network, The History Channel and Philadelphia broadcasters KYW-3 (CBS) and WPHL-17 will make the leap to digital. For a breakdown of which high-definition channels are being added in which locales, head on past the break.

Although Time Warner has been handing out heaps of HD channels in the state of Ohio here lately, some subscribers could face a few headaches in the coming days. As of this week, the carrier is realigning its digital channels in order to "create a uniform lineup across all of its systems, including those it acquired from Adelphia." Unfortunately for customers, this means that they'll have to reprogram their DVR to record shows / series after the changes occur, and worse, it could affect some of the content already on there. When asked if the change would erase stored programs, a TWC spokesman (unsurprisingly) replied: "We're not sure." Weirder still, the company has actually gone so far as to post a how-to guide of transferring saved television shows from your DVR onto another medium (VHS, DVD, etc.), and it's encouraging subscribers to do so to ensure they don't lose any content. Um, thanks? [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

Yeah, you read that right, the all fiber optic television provider has analog signals, but not for long. Once upon a time FiOS promised the FCC it'd be all digital in time for the analog shutoff and to work towards that goal, Verizon has started sending out letters and has setup a web page to help educate its customers. So while other providers plan to offer analog simulcasts of the digital signal for three years after Feb '09, Verizon will be providing free inexpensive STBs for those in need. We assume this will happen market by market as an all at once national role out seems implausible, so if you accustomed to enjoying the dozen or so analog channels via FiOS on the remaining analog TVs in your house, you should be hearing from Verizon sometime between April and next January. Of course this is good news for HD fans, as we all know each analog SD channels uses the same throughput as two high quality HD channels -- three if your cable.

With major retailers kicking analog TVs and DVD recorders sans digital tuners to the curb -- not to mention the whole DTV transition thing -- it's really no shock that digital adoption is forecasted to increase significantly in the coming years. Nevertheless, today's "O RLY?" moment comes to us courtesy of ABI Research, which is estimating that the worldwide Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) receiver market will "grow from 65 million units in 2007 to more than 350 million units in 2013, representing a compound annual growth rate of 32-percent." A pretty big jump, sure, but if we were the betting kind, we'd probably offer up the farm on this one.

[Via Widescreen Review]

Citing "reception problems" in Metro Manila, the suburbs and parts of Central Luzon, Philippines-based ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation is gearing up to transition into the digital age. According to Vivian Tin, ABS-CBN head of research and business analysis, the outfit is throwing down "a few billion pesos" over the next several years as it rolls out the digital television service, but notes that it should launch DTT in some locales within the next few months. Currently, the reception issues affect "fringe areas that are serviced by the company's Metro Manila transmission tower and some [portions of] Central Luzon that are dependent on its transmission from the North," but with digital transmission, those troubles will purportedly vanish. As expected, the fresh new digital delivery will still be obtainable for free over-the-air.

TVMAX, a Texas-based cable provider for MDU (multiple dwelling unit) housing communities, is apparently gearing up to make the switch to all digital. Curiously enough, the move was announced on the same day that RCN began migrating its Chicago customers to a purely digital network, too. Reportedly, the firm has laid down the coin for a complete headend solution from Scopus in order to support the cutover, and it will also rely on that firm to manage and monitor the system once installed and flipped on. When exactly the whole "flipped on" thing will go down, however, still remains a mystery.

Continuing the trend of high-class hotels having a thing for high-definition is The Water Club, a signature hotel by Borgata which is set to open its doors this summer in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The $600 million master plan development will feature 800 rooms and suites, each of which will have access to free-to-guest IPTV with HD service. Additionally, patrons can look forward to an unspecified allotment of HD VOD, and if you're curious as to what they'll be enjoying said content on, a 40-inch Sony LCD TV is the answer. The 100-percent digital Guest-Tek OneView Media HD system will reportedly utilize a set-top-box that supports MPEG2, MPEG4-AVC and VC-1, and while this all sounds mighty delightful, we've no clue how many Benjamins you'll be laying down (per night) to experience this yourself. A look inside is waiting after the jump.

Starting today, RCN will begin switching to all digital programming in Chicago, Illinois, a full year (and change) before all broadcast channels must do the same. Reportedly, the move will enable the cable provider to reclaim excess spectrum and recreate its cable offerings. More specifically, the 80 channel Signature package will be re-launching with 180 channels for the same price, and while we're not told exactly what new HD additions we'll find, a few newcomers are nevertheless promised. Additionally, subscribers in the area can expect more video-on-demand content and new channel pods which will purportedly "provide customers with the ability to pay only for the programming they want to watch." With all this freed up space, the firm's VP and General Manager Tom McKay has boldly proclaimed that it hopes to "make good on the promise of offering approximately 100 HD channels in the future," but sadly, "future" is as detailed as it got. 'Course, some users will need to grab a digital converter box or CableCARD to continue receiving service, but you already knew that, now didn't you?