Chances are, you feel pretty strongly that you give enough of your hard-earned money to your state as it is, but if you're a resident of California, Connecticut, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Texas or Wisconsin who purchased a DTV converter box from Best Buy, you may have donated a little extra. Reportedly, some Best Buy locations accidentally overcharged for sales tax when deducting the $40 government voucher from the purchase price of DTV boxes, and now the retailer is looking to right the ship by doling out refunds. If you paid with a credit card, sit tight -- your check is in the mail; if you used greenbacks, don't even bother spending $5 per gallon to retrieve your $2.50.

[Thanks, Matthew]

Maybe we're just sticklers for getting things right, but the "outcome" of this fiasco still isn't sitting well with us. If you'll recall, earlier this month Charter failed to deliver a 65-inch HDTV to a contest winner, and instead, it shipped a box large enough for a 19-inch TV (which the recipient refused). After being pelted with angry cries from the media, the carrier finally bit the bullet and sent over a 42-inch HDTV alongside a 19-incher (which was probably the same one originally refused). The family seems fairly content with the resolution, but the man is still owed a 65-inch HDTV in our eyes. Oh, and if you couldn't guess, a company employee told the winner that all of this spawned from a simple "miscommunication at the office." Uh, you think that's a bit of an understatement, or what?

[Image courtesy of ZMETravel]

Could it finally be happening? The bigwigs at Comcast and Big Ten Network are actually closing in on a deal? According to a recent writeup originating in the Chicago Tribune, a long-awaited partnership between the carrier and station is expected to become official at any moment. A BTN spokesperson told the Star Tribune that "while the deal between the sides is close, there is nothing to report at this point." However, the individual did admit that the two parties "remain close to reaching an agreement." Needless to say, quite a few individuals (hundreds of thousands, actually) in the Big Ten footprint would be elated to have their upcoming football season around and in HD, but considering just how long this bickering has been going on, we aren't jotting this one in stone quite yet.

Guess what, loyal Windows Home Server users? A fix for that completely obnoxious data corruption bug is on the way. According to an email beamed out by the WHS team, the final release of Power Pack 1 is still aways out, but the public beta is all set to be loosed on those who willingly accept the associated risk(s). Said download is slated to launch in "early June," but those who want to get in on the pre-release fun are being encouraged to sign up now. Needless to say, those who toss their name in the ring better be sure their data is backed way up -- after all, the whole point of this test is to find any remaining holes that could render your files unusable. Keep an eye on that inbox for an invite, and if you're content with just getting the end product, the wait is growing ever shorter.

[Thanks, Drew]

For those not paying much attention to Samsung's 650 series of LCD HDTVs, this very well may be the first you've heard of any "auto shut off" issue. For owners, we can almost guarantee it's not. As of last month, Samsung has issued a firmware update meant to cure the nagging issue on some sets which turned themselves off sporadically. The LN40A650A1F, LN46A650A1F and LN52A650A1F are called out specifically, and Sammy recommends that you only install the update if your set is one that has a mind of its own. Give a shout in comments to let us know if this does indeed solve the problem.

[Via TV Lamps 'N Bulbs]

Chalk one up for the little guys. After Bright House Cable ganked a number of HD channels from CableCARD users early last month in "preparation" for the SDV transformation, a chorus of complaints flooded in. Now, it seems as if the carrier has caved, and the channels that were removed (along with the networks added to non-CableCARD lineups) will be redelivered sometime this week. Granted, the jubilation will come to a screeching halt in August / September once SDV is actually implemented, but hopefully a workaround will be available by then to enable switched digital support for CableCARD. Be sure to chime in below once you see the stations come back online, and yeah, we're raising our glasses over here in celebration, too.

[Thanks, TiVo Community]

It sure seems like we've been watching this war between Topeka, Kansas' CBS affiliate (WIBW-TV) and Cox Communication wage for an awful lot longer than half a month, but just over a fortnight after this tiff came to a head, everything is seemingly back to normal. As of last night, the station and the carrier have reached an agreement that will enable CBS to remain on Cox's lineup, and just as expected, the terms of the deal are being kept under wraps. Now, if only Topeka could just get those six HD channels that are already available in many other parts of Kansas, all really would be well.

[Thanks, Kevin O.]

Not even two months after Samsung rolled out a firmware update for its ailing BD-UP5000 Blu-ray / HD DVD combo player, the firm is at it again in an attempt to mend the issues that owners have been squabbling about since day one. Sammy doesn't provide any gory details about what exactly firmware v1.2 does -- all we're told is that it "fixes the network connection error [introduced in v1.1]." Still, its good to see some progress being made, but considering that there's no laundry list of solutions here, we've all ideas that there are still some strides left to be taken. Hit up the read link to get your download on, and be sure to chime in below with any changes / bug fixes.

[Thanks, Jim]

By our count, Panasonic's DMP-BD30 wasn't a half bad Blu-ray player from day one, but apparently, it just got a whole lot better. Effectively immediately, owners can surf on over to the firm's website and grab hold of the v1.6 firmware, which promises to fix the LFE audio issue that some were experiencing. Additionally, Panny informs us that BD-V (PiP) playability and HDMI compatibility are also improved upon, but no further details are given. Anxious to update? Head on down to the read link to get your download on, and stop on by the via to see how others have fared.

[Via AVSForum, thanks Brian L.]

If you were one of the many who received an HD DVD version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in your limited edition Blu-ray box set, take heart. Apparently, Warner Bros. has established a hotline for affected customers to call up, and when they're connected, they will be issued a single-disc BD edition of the aforementioned film. Reportedly, the studio will eventually mail out replacements that match the artwork on the other discs in the collection, but as of now, Warner has yet to release a statement on this either way. Ready to get yours? Phone up 1-800-553-6937 -- oh, and be kind to the uninvolved CSRs, will ya?

[Thanks, domerdel]

Apparently Sony's kicking off an early Thanksgiving break tomorrow, as they seem to be exhausting themselves today in preparation. After breaking the news that PSP Spots are US bound, floating the PSP 3.0 firmware out, and probably dealing with that massive invoice they just received from Thomas Menino and friends, the company is issuing a quasi-promise that the 1080i / 720p output problems plaguing some distraught PS3 owners will be fixed. Interestingly enough, Sony places a slightly unbelievable amount of blame on "antiquated HDTVs," as if having an HDTV that supports 720p is some sort of hidden requirement to operate a PlayStation 3. While we fully understand that most HDTV sets purchased today will indeed play nice with 720p signals, where's the love for folks who snagged those first generations sets produced by yours truly? According to Sony, a fix is on the way, but it doesn't sound like you'll be getting served with a smile.