Maybe the National Association of Broadcasters is onto something when it complains about cable's "taking advantage of the digital transition" to sign up new subscribers.

Case in point: In an effort to encourage consumers to prepare for the Feb. 17, 2009 digital television transition ahead of time, Comcast on Wednesday kicked-off what it's calling the "Get Ready" initiative, offering low-cost cable plans and other incentives to new and existing customers.

As part of the push, new subscribers who sign up for Comcast broadband or phone service will get free basic cable service for 12 months, while existing customers can add basic cable to additional TVs for free. Comcast is also offering a year's worth of basic cable for $10 per month for those that don't want to sign up for additional services.

"The simple fact is that basic cable is the easiest path through the digital transition and now consumers can get it for free," said Derek Harrar, Comcast's general manager and senior vice president of video services. "With one call to 1-800-COMCAST, we can professionally install basic cable service on every cable-ready TV and will deliver more channels with no new boxes, no new remote, no antennas and no reception issues."

Hey, it's not like the DTV converter boxes that NTIA is pushing are exactly foolproof (as we learned in Wilmington).

"DTV is a landmark event in the history of television," Harra added, "and we're doing everything we can to help."

HD Radio developer iBiquity Digital on Wednesday announced the certification of the one hundredth HD Radio-enabled product at the company's labs in Columbia, Md. HD radios are also certified by Intertek in Hong Kong and at TOKO in Japan.

"The HD Radio market is growing rapidly, and we are working with leading manufacturers and brands around the world to bring high-quality products to consumers who are demanding more from their radios," said Jeff Jury, COO of iBiquity Digital. "The hard work our lab, Intertek and TOKO have put into analyzing and perfecting certification testing for digital HD Radio tuners and receivers has enabled the availability of a wide range of new HD Radio products for consumers."

To date, the HD Radio lineup includes everything from clock radios, to A/v components, to iPod docks to car stereos. According to iBiquity, OEM HD Radio is currently available from ten different automakers in the U.S. and overseas, as well as from dozens of aftermarket manufacturers.

GPS navigation manufacturer TomTom on Wednesday announced that its new Fuel Price Service, which allows TomTom GPS users to load and access a year's worth of daily fuel price updates directly from their device, is now available for retail purchase.

According to TomTom, a one-year subscription to the service costs $19.95.

"TomTom’s Fuel Price Service allows our customers to access the lowest gas prices directly on their device wherever they go -- a crucial feature in the midst of today’s economy," said Tom Murray, vice president of Market Development for TomTom. "TomTom is the first portable GPS company to sell this type of service at retail."

Once the software is loaded onto a device, the user can sort local gas stations by location or price and can search for the lowest gas prices on their route. The service is compatible with a variety of TomTom models including the GO line, ONE line, Rider I and II and the ONE XL, among others.

AVerMedia Technologies this week took the wraps off its new DVI Box 7, the latest version of its analog TV-through-anything set-top box.
 
Unlike previous iterations, the DVI Box 7 doesn't require a PC to work -- just plug it into a LCD or CRT monitor and start watching over-the-air analog TV (or analog cable). The device can also be hooked up to a projector with similar results, and includes a DVR-like "pause" feature and picture-in-picture. In terms of video, the unit supports standard DVI connections at resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 and VGA up to 1280 x 1024.
 
The one thing AVerMedia hasn't addressed about the DVI Box 7 -- which is now available at an MSRP of $119.99 -- has to be the biggest elephant in the room: What about the DTV switch next February? Sure, analog TV is cool now, but what happens when it goes away? Resurrecting an old CRT monitor as a basic TV is a great idea, but the simplicity stands to get lost after the user connects the DVI Box 7 to whatever DTV converter box they get to access OTA programming.

PROGRAMMING -- Time Warner Cable deployed a new interactive service from ActiveVideo Network throughout its Oceanic system in Hawaii this week. The service infuses television with web content -- including interactive games and home shopping -- and works with any digital set-top box.

RESEARCH -- According to a report released Wednesday by market research firm iSuppli, more than half of all vehicles sold in the U.S. next year will at least offer an iPod connection as an option. Who's saying Apple stock is a bad investment now?