By February 17, 2009, all analog television broadcasts are scheduled to be turned off There are a growing number of programs to watch in HDTV. All of the major networks: ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, and PBS broadcast a growing portion of their schedules in HDTV. In addition, FOX previously broadcast much of their programming in 480p (standard definition digital TV), but came on board with 720p broadcasting in the FALL of 2004. Here is a list of TV stations broadcasting in DTV or HDTV. If your favorite local station is not on the list, give them a call to find out their current status with regards to DTV or HDTV. In addition, Discovery, Showtime, HBO, HDnet, TNT, ESPN, and FOX Sports, have HDTV signal feeds. As a result, a growing number of cable systems around the country are now providing HDTV cable service, including systems owned by COX, Comcast, Cablevision, and Time Warner (Check with your local cable company for service in your area). Even local stations are getting onboard with an increasing number broadcasting their local news programs in high definition. Lastly, the two main satellite service providers, DirecTV and DishNetwork offer HDTV channels as well. Here is a comprehensive daily listing of what is being shown in HDTV. However, although there is quite of bit of programming available in HDTV, currently accessing the programming can be frustrating for the consumer. For example, local HDTV broadcasts are available over-the-air via antenna, but your local cable outlet may not be passing all those signals through your cable system. In addition, although Satellite offers the most HDTV programming (via sport channels and movie channels), they may not offer much in the way of local or network HDTV programming. Then, there is the issue of pricing. Some cable systems offer some basic HDTV services for no extra charge, but most offer an HDTV tier of local channels and movie channels for an extra fee, but some often charge extra on top of that for services such as ESPN-HD and Discovery-HD. HDTV is still going through a lot of growing pains, partly caused by government policies and partly caused by programming providers. There definitely needs to be some consistency offerings, pricing, and more strict timetables -- but be patient -- HDTV can currently be accessed via over 1200 television stations and most cable systems in the major markets. This trend will surely continue as more consumers buy HDTVs and demand better access to programming. Of course, by February 17, 2009, all analog television broadcasts are scheduled to be turned off, so all televisions stations need to be onboard by that time.

By: Robert Silva

©2007 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.