With back-to-school just around the corner, shoppers—students and parents alike—can find a bit of relief from costly school supplies.

According to DealNews.com, some states are waiving local sales tax on items such as computers, clothing, “school supplies” and even small appliances.

Some of these local, “tax-free” offers start today and last for some time. Other states’ waivers are valid only for a certain span of days.

Either way, check the list below to see when—or if—your state will offer these shopping incentives, and for what products. (For instance, some states only ax the tax on clothing, while others includes school supplies, and still others on computers.)

   School supplies, computers, and clothing:

   Clothing Only

   Energy Star Appliances

For more details, see the DealNews.com article, Sales Tax Holiday Roundup.

And if you know of any tax breaks or back-to-school shopping tips, share them in the comments below. —Will Dilella

On Friday, July 31, when the clock chimes midnight, the DTV coupon program will no longer accept new applications, so act fast if you haven’t already asked Uncle Sam to kick in $40 toward the purchase of a digital converter box.

Applications sent via snail mail must be postmarked no later than July 31, 2009, and online, phone, and fax applications must be made by 12 midnight Eastern Time. You should expect your coupon (one or two per household) via first-class mail about nine business days after your application is received. You’ll then have 90 days to use the coupon before it expires.

To order a coupon, you can call the toll-free, 24-hour automated system 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009). You can download an application and mail it to PO BOX 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000, or fax it to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632). Remember, you have to do it within the next 24 hours or so.

Many coupons have not yet been used. As of July 29, 63,797,521 had been mailed, and only slightly more than half (33,775,023) had been redeemed.

We’ve been covering the DTV transition and the coupon program for well over a year, and there’s been lots of lively discussion amongst our blog readers about the pros and cons of digital television. There hasn’t been much public outcry over the “death of analog TV,” so it hasn’t been quite as apocalyptic as some feared (does it remind anyone else of Y2K?), though individual households have voiced their gripes. Check out a few of these threads to see what other consumers have experienced.

We’d love to hear more from those of you using a converter box and antenna to pull in DTV signals. And anyone preparing to embark on a new DTV setup—maybe for that small TV in the basement or bedroom—should definitely seek advice from those who’ve gone before you.—Eileen McCooey

Samsung 8500-series LED LCD TV. (Click to enlarge.) [Photo courtesy of Samsung]

Samsung's latest entry into the LED LCD TV sweepstakes is a new premium line of 8500-series TVs, in 46- and 55-inch screen sizes, that will be available starting in September. The 240Hz sets—priced at $3,600 and $4,500, respectively—are ultra-thin models (just 1.6-inches deep) that include Samsung’s Medi@2.0 Internet service, with access to online content via Yahoo’s Internet widget platform.

Unlike some TVs that try to achieve a 240Hz effect by combining a scanning (flashing) backlight with 120Hz technology, 8500-series models are true 240Hz sets that use frame-interpolation technology (called Auto Motion Plus) to actually quadruple the TV's frame rate. One thing we liked in some previous Samsung sets, included on these newer models, is the ability for users to adjust the levels of judder and motion-blur reduction individually, which can help reduce motion blur without adding so much smoothing that film starts to look like video.

Unlike most new models we're seeing, these sets use full-array LED backlights, rather than edge LEDs. Full-array backlights allow for local dimming—something the 8500-series sets include—where some segments of the screen can remain dark while others are illuminated. In previous full-array sets, such as Samsung's A950 series, we saw significant improvements in black-level performance. We hope to test a set in this series when they become available to see how black levels compare to both to the A950 set we have in house, as well as newer edge-lit models.

Samsung’s Medi@2.0 online service offers access to Web-based content—including photos from Flickr, YouTube videos, sports news from USA Today, and Twitter feeds—via onscreen widgets. In the fall, the sets will be able to receive streaming movies from Blockbuster, per a previously announced deal. The sets also come with 2GB of flash memory preloaded with content such as artwork, games and recipes.

The new TVs can be wall-mounted using Samsung’s ultra-slim wall mount, which leaves a gap of just over a half-inch between the set and the wall. —James K. Willcox

On Friday, July 31, when the clock chimes midnight, the DTV coupon program will no longer accept new applications, so act fast if you haven’t already asked Uncle Sam to kick in $40 toward the purchase of a digital converter box.

Applications sent via snail mail must be postmarked no later than July 31, 2009, and online, phone, and fax applications must be made by 12 midnight Eastern Time. You should expect your coupon (one or two per household) via first-class mail about nine business days after your application is received. You’ll then have 90 days to use the coupon before it expires.

To order a coupon, you can call the toll-free, 24-hour automated system 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009). You can download an application and mail it to PO BOX 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000, or fax it to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632). Remember, you have to do it within the next 24 hours or so.

Many coupons have not yet been used. As of July 29, 63,797,521 had been mailed, and only slightly more than half (33,775,023) had been redeemed.

We’ve been covering the DTV transition and the coupon program for well over a year, and there’s been lots of lively discussion amongst our blog readers about the pros and cons of digital television. There hasn’t been much public outcry over the “death of analog TV,” so it hasn’t been quite as apocalyptic as some feared (does it remind anyone else of Y2K?), though individual households have voiced their gripes. Check out a few of these threads to see what other consumers have experienced.

We’d love to hear more from those of you using a converter box and antenna to pull in DTV signals. And anyone preparing to embark on a new DTV setup—maybe for that small TV in the basement or bedroom—should definitely seek advice from those who’ve gone before you.—Eileen McCooey

Samsung 8500-series LED LCD TV. (Click to enlarge.) [Photo courtesy of Samsung]

Samsung's latest entry into the LED LCD TV sweepstakes is a new premium line of 8500-series TVs, in 46- and 55-inch screen sizes, that will be available starting in September. The 240Hz sets—priced at $3,600 and $4,500, respectively—are ultra-thin models (just 1.6-inches deep) that include Samsung’s Medi@2.0 Internet service, with access to online content via Yahoo’s Internet widget platform.

Unlike some TVs that try to achieve a 240Hz effect by combining a scanning (flashing) backlight with 120Hz technology, 8500-series models are true 240Hz sets that use frame-interpolation technology (called Auto Motion Plus) to actually quadruple the TV's frame rate. One thing we liked in some previous Samsung sets, included on these newer models, is the ability for users to adjust the levels of judder and motion-blur reduction individually, which can help reduce motion blur without adding so much smoothing that film starts to look like video.

Unlike most new models we're seeing, these sets use full-array LED backlights, rather than edge LEDs. Full-array backlights allow for local dimming—something the 8500-series sets include—where some segments of the screen can remain dark while others are illuminated. In previous full-array sets, such as Samsung's A950 series, we saw significant improvements in black-level performance. We hope to test a set in this series when they become available to see how black levels compare to both to the A950 set we have in house, as well as newer edge-lit models.

Samsung’s Medi@2.0 online service offers access to Web-based content—including photos from Flickr, YouTube videos, sports news from USA Today, and Twitter feeds—via onscreen widgets. In the fall, the sets will be able to receive streaming movies from Blockbuster, per a previously announced deal. The sets also come with 2GB of flash memory preloaded with content such as artwork, games and recipes.

The new TVs can be wall-mounted using Samsung’s ultra-slim wall mount, which leaves a gap of just over a half-inch between the set and the wall. —James K. Willcox