Kodachrome, R.I.P.

Because of poor sales, Eastman Kodak has decided to take our Kodachrome away. No more greens of summer when the stock that is left sells out, probably this fall. The film first came out in 1935 and was a huge hit, but now accounts for less than 1% of the company’s market. Most camera owners opt for digital and newer film technology and although the company claims to be nostalgic, it still comes down to profit.

Read More | Physorg

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DIY DTV Antenna

Still cursing over the DTV change because you finally got a converter but your antenna sucks? John Park has a solution using a few coat hangers, wire and wood. If that doesn’t solve the problem add some foil. Still have lousy reception? You are just going to have to cave and pay for a probably overpriced retailer’s antenna. As a bonus, at the end of the video John also makes a camcorder stabilizer.

Read More | Make

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Video Refrigerator Memo Magnet

Nag your loved ones with this Video Fridge Magnet. Record up to 30 seconds of A/V with its built-in camera and recorder, and it will playback on a 1 1/2-inch LCD screen and speaker. When a message is stored on the device, an LED lights up. With one click of a button, the message plays back. When it needs a recharge, plug into your PC’s USB port. Although the magnet is temporarily out of stock, contact them if you would like to pre-order for GBP 29.99 (~$48.92.)

Read More | Thumbs Up

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Digital Transition This Friday

You know this is your final week before your TV turns into snow, right? If not, it is time to stop procrastinating with the excuse, “The dog ate my coupons.” DTV.gov says that about 42% of stations have already made the digital transition and that means that as of Friday, 58% of the channels you take for granted on your old analog set will cease to exist. Check out their site if you need physical or emotional support.

Read More | DTV.gov

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Phosphor Digital Watches With E Ink

Phosphor has developed digital watches that are not only ergonomic but utilize E Ink in their displays. There are two modes, a standard numeric digital display and a graphic analog hour clock, and you can switch between them depending on your mood. The display autonomously switches between white-on-black to black-on-white time each passing minute. If you like your timepiece busy, the water-resistant watches run $175.00 to $195.00, depending on your choice of style.

 

Read More | Phosphor

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VuPoint Digital Film and Slide Scanner

The VuPoint Solutions Digital Film and Slide Scanner has a 2.4-inch TFT color display, a 5MP CMOS Sensor, a USB 1.1 interface and is compatible with both Mac and Windows. The FC-C520-VP has 32MB of memory that can be expanded to 8GB with an SD card. Not only will it scan, it can covert your old slides and negatives to digital images in either JPEG or TIFF files. At a price of $129.99, it comes with adapter, USB and video cables and software CD.

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More TV Stations to Crossover to Digital Before June

The FCC has announced that 158 more stations will switch from analog to digital before the June 12 deadline, with about a third of them being PBS affiliates. This leaves 927 stations, 51.6%, to make the change later. One of our local stations that made the early transition almost harasses you if you tune them in without a converter. Twenty four hours a day of telling us to get a box is not exactly friendly PR. You can check the list of those that are crossing over early on an FCC PDF.

Read More | Home Theater Mag

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TV Stations To Crossover To Digital Early

Now that the crossover to digital TV has been postponed, don’t think that you still have 4 months to buy a new TV or converter box. Some of the 1,796 full-power stations will still go with the option of dropping analog transmission this month. The FCC has asked those stations to notify them today and can prohibit the change if they feel that it is not in the public’s interest. So if you still aren’t ready and you live in an urban area, you might see that snow after all February 17.

Read More | ABC

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House and Senate Approve Digital Changeover Delay

Put your converters back into their cardboard boxes for a while. The House okayed the bill by 264 to 158 to set the date for the digital changeover to June 12. The Senate had previously approved the measure. Undoubtedly, President Obama will sign it as well. However, there is still no funding for more converter coupons but that may yet come under part of the new stimulus legislation.

Read More | MSNBC

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House Votes Down Digital Delay Bill

The House today voted down the bill to switch the digital delay from Feb.17 to June 12 by its failure to get 2/3 of the vote. The bill, backed by President Obama, had already passed in the Senate. Many Republicans believe that passing the bill and boosting the coupon program would create more confusion. Nielsen reports that about 6.5 million households are still not ready for the changeover. Stay tuned to see either the bill gets reworked for another vote or if President Obama saves the day.

Read More | Reuters

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