When the FCC's Kevin Martin asserted that the 2009 digital TV transition subsidy program was nearing the end of its financial rope back in October, no one really paid him any mind. After all, this ain't the FCC's gig. Now, however, an AP report on the topic is confirming the fears, noting that the NTIA itself is "warning that unless lawmakers step in quickly with more funding or new accounting rules, it will have to create a waiting list for coupon requests." Should this occur, new vouchers would only be sent out once previously mailed vouchers expired without being used. As of now, only $68.2 million of the $1.34 billion set aside for this program remains free, and after February 17th comes and goes, you can bet the interest will skyrocket. Moral of the story? Get your request in now if you're in need (check here to see if you are).

[Via ShellyPalmerMedia]

Update: The well is dry! Yikes!

In December of 2007, we candidly wondered if 2008 would be the year for selectable output control. We reckon we should re-pose the question with "2008" replacing "2007." Broadcasting and Cable is reporting that Kevin Martin doesn't support Hollywood's request for selectable outputs, noting that the final decision would have to wait for the next chairman. It's widely expected that Martin will step down just days before Obama is sworn in, but in the January 15th meeting on the topic, he'll likely stifle the MPAA's plans. For those unaware, SOC would enable content to hit HD VOD outlets before DVD, but in exchange, it would only be allowed out of the set-top-box via encrypted digital outputs. Obviously, those with older TV sets wouldn't be able to take advantage, thus the chairman's hesitation to allow it. Maybe next year, Big Content.

[Via LA Times, image courtesy of DansData]

As most of you know by now, February 17 is the cutoff date for analog television in the US... or is it? The FCC has proposed the Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act (SAFER -- get it?), a.k.a. the Analog Nightlight Act, which lets full-power TV stations keep broadcasting on the antiquated spectrum for 30 days after the DTV transition. The idea came from a similar program used with Wilmington, North Carolina's early shutoff back in September. Of course, the proposed programming is a bit dry -- public safety messages and information on the transition -- but we hear the finale will rival The Sopranos' sendoff. Hit up the read link and see if any of your local stations are on the list of proposed nightlights.

[Via Ars Technica]

Oh, dear. You all point and laugh now, but as Richard Doherty, an analyst with the Envisioneering Group, has stated: "On February 18, there will be a tremendous amount of finger-pointing." Richard also makes another point that we certainly agree with in that "this transition is possibly one of the worst understood consumer education programs in modern times," with millions of Americans still unready for the impending change. 'Course, if you've ever attempted to help your grandmother troubleshoot a VCR over the phone (let alone in 30-second blips), it's somewhat easier to understand why this process is so difficult to grasp. As of today, legions of people are still perplexed at what's coming, and we believe that many are apt to simply sit around and do nothing. The government / NAB is ramping up advertising and sending out DTV transition-mobiles in order to get the word out, but one must wonder, is it too late to save those who have already delayed this long?

Read - Nielsen statistics
Read - Confusion in DTV Transition

You know that DLNA support that your media streamer has, which currently only supports WiFi and Ethernet as approved LAN standards? Yeah? Well MoCA is about to join in. Yep, the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) has given the green light to the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) technology standard for "incorporation into the next version of its Networked Interoperability Guidelines," which should be out in early 2009. The guidelines will aim to "unite various consumer electronics, personal computer and mobile device technologies into a cohesive home networking environment," and being that MoCA is an open initiative intended to distribute multimedia over a home's existing coaxial network, it's a wonder the two haven't linked up earlier. Who says coax is dying?

Cable companies have been moving analog stations to digital tiers for quite some time now, using the shifts to free up bandwidth and expand the amount of stations they carry. Separately, broadcast stations (you know, those ones you can pick up with an OTA antenna) are being forced to beam out signals in digital-only this coming February. The two scenarios have nothing to do with one another, but it's evidently difficult for the average consumer to grasp that -- particularly when cable carriers are accelerating analog-to-digital transitions in order to "encourage" the purchase of digital tiers and corresponding set-top-boxes. To that end, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association has agreed that all cable companies will freeze their own personal switchovers until the national broadcast cutover is complete, which will hopefully solve some of the confusion. We have a hard time believing outfits like Comcast signed on without a fight, but either way, it looks like those digital tiers won't be growing out of control between December 31st and February 17th, 2009.

Not to be outdone by their LCD brethren, plasma displays from Hitachi, LG, Panasonic and Pioneer have earned the right to wear Energy Star badges (or sashes). All told, 43 models from the manufacturers successfully navigated the 208-Watt "on mode" and less than 1-Watt "standby mode" limbo stick, and although the Plasma Display Coalition isn't crowing about smashing the requirements like JVC did with its LCDs, it's still a testament to advances to plasma efficiency. For us plasma-philes here at Engadget HD, knowing our obsessive pursuit of image quality isn't destroying the planet is a bit like having our cake and eating it, too.

Set your doomsday clocks for December 17 -- and no, scientists are not testing out their duct-tape fix to the LHC. Next Wednesday, Washington D.C. and 29 states will all put a toe in the analog shutoff waters on the same day. There's been no shortage of smaller scale tests that have passed without significant incident, but the test next week with t-minus two months to the real deal is the most widespread shutoff simulation yet. Thanks to the numerous PSAs, many people know all about the switchover, but the tests have helped OTA-users identify if they're safely in the digital footprint or "digital cliff dwellers" living on the edge of the digital coverage areas; we figure the roster of affected people will grow after next week. If your area is on the list, might we suggest stocking up on TV viewing in advance of the test?

Read - Multi-state analog shutoff
Read - List of participating broadcasters [PDF link]

As the US analog shutoff draws inevitably closer, we have all ideas that we'll be seeing quite a few other major markets making major pushes to get the word out. The next in line is Boston, where all of the local television stations and cable providers have teamed up to "help viewers prepare for the federally mandated shutdown of full-power television analog signals and the transition to digital television (DTV) on February 17, 2009." The so-called 'DTV Day' will take place a week from today from 5:00AM to 7:30PM ET, and during that window, locals will see intermittent daylong crawls on all outlets promoting DTV information, daylong, uninterrupted DTV information on a single, destination station (WGBH-TV analog) and a trio of two-minute "Virtual Shutdown" readiness tests. Talk about serious -- we didn't even prepare for Y2K like this.

[Image courtesy of Brandeis]

Not that we're excusing the act of procrastination, but regardless of how much we or any governmental agency does to inform the general public of the impending digital TV transition, you can bank on the fact that some folks will act utterly stunned when their analog set stops receiving signal on February 17, 2009. Being sure that said scenario will become a reality in due time, the US Senate last week passed the Short-Term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness (SAFER) Act, which would allow "public safety announcements and information about the DTV transition to continue being broadcast for a month after the official cut-off." The House has yet to give its official stamp of approval, but with both FCC chairman Kevin Martin and the Bush administration at large backing it, we don't foresee any snags in passage. On that note, get yourself a voucher and get prepared!

We heard earlier this year that Verizon would be caving to the FCC's request and phasing out any remaining analog duplicate channels that it was still hosting, and as of today, the carrier can claim that its fiber-based programming service is completely digital. For those affected, Verizon has been offering up free digital adapters to cope, and as of this very moment, each of its FiOS TV subscribers should be good to go with its 100% digital lineup. The impending digital TV transition has claimed another, but we won't shed a tear for the removal of analog. Coldhearted, but totally justified.

There's no doubt that the CEA and NTIA have been spreading the word about the 2009 digital TV transition as hard as they can, but some folks still aren't taking the time to listen. 'Course, 62% is way better than what we've seen in the past, but that still leaves a full third of OTA-reliant American households sans a government-issued voucher with under 100 days to go until analog slides under the guillotine. Currently, 17 million homes have requested 33.5 million coupons (in other words, most folks are requesting the maximum of two) and 13.5 million have been redeemed. For those with a strange curiosity to know even more, it's stated that a number of eastern cities have the highest coupon application rates, while folks in Hawaii and Alaska could apparently care less. Can't blame 'em given the scenery, eh?

LodgeNet is looking out for hoteliers and hotel guests who actually want to watch a little TV while traveling after February 17, 2009 by rolling out a digital transition roadmap to bring venues up to speed. Granted, most hotels don't rely on analog OTA signals to begin with, but for those that still do, it's hoping to "propose a customized solution for each property." In other words, it'll see if analog OTA is still in use, and then offer a marked-up installation of DirecTV and / or a gaggle of DTV converter boxes -- brilliant!

Just last week we heard that Warner Bros. was ending its home video / DVD business in South Korea due to rampant piracy, and now we've got a report from China suggesting that sophisticated pirates are duping buyers with faux Blu-ray Discs that are actually DVDs. As the story goes, movie pirates in select parts of Asia are ripping bona fide BDs and then burning them in AVCHD format (which uses 720 horizontal lines of resolution compared to Blu-ray's 1,080) on writable DVDs. Word on the street has it that these discs are being offered for around $7 each, and they even boast the BD hologram and the iconic blue hues on the packaging. Reportedly, none of the discs have made it outside of Asia just yet, but stay sharp should you ever get the urge to snag a discounted BD title while traveling abroad.

[Image courtesy of UberGizmo]

Best Buy has been pushing out "surveys" asserting that the vast majority of America still isn't prepared for the looming 2009 digital TV transition for months now, but at long last the retailer is stepping up to do something about it. Similar to Circuit City's initiative earlier this year, Best Buy is teaming up with NAB to host in-store DTV workshops in the 25 largest cities across the nation. The festivities will begin on the morning of November 17th in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and a smattering of others, and of course, you can count on store employees coaxing you into buying a DTV converter box right then and there. Ah well, whatever it takes to get you prepared. Like an Eagle Scout.