Today, Sony announced three new SLRs, two for consumers and one for more advanced shooters. All include some intriguing features at competitive prices. Here are the models:

• 12-megapixel alpha DSLR-A500 ($850 with kit lens and $750 body only)
• 14-megapixel alpha DSLR-A550 ($1050 with kit lens and $950 body only)
• 24.6-megapixel alpha DSLR-A850 ($2000 body only).

Coupled with its announcements of three SLRs in May, this gives Sony six new SLRs in six months. That's making quite a splash in the SLR market. There's also a new zoom lens, a 28-75mm f/2.8 zoom ($800) for its full-frame cameras, giving Sony 30 lenses in its system.

Here are some of the new features available on the two consumer SLRs:

• Higher ISO. Sony is claiming the new SLRs will be able to capture images at 12,800 ISO, but with reduced color noise and without blurring fine detail.

• High dynamic range feature. Although Sony isn't the first to include an HDR feature—Pentax has it on its K-7–Sony claims to have reduced to two seconds the time it takes to shoot the three images this feature requires. So while the feature may not be well-suited to action shots, you'll still be able to use it for many other types of photos.

• Displays. Both have 3-inch tilting LCDs. The A550's includes more dots—921,000—than most displays, making it clearer and sharper.

• Faster burst modes. Both models can capture 5 frames per second in standard mode and 4 fps with Live View. The A550 is supposed to be able to shoot a blazing 7 fps in a special mode that locks autofocus and autoexposure to the first frame.

• Smarter SLRs. Sony has included some of the same smart features as in its point-and-shoots, including smile shutter, making these the first SLRs with such a feature.

• Two live view systems. Both SLRs include an extra image sensor, which lets you choose between two types of live view. The first, which uses the added sensor, is called Quick AF live view and includes face detection and smile shutter. The second uses the main image sensor and is called Manual Focus Check live view, which turns off the autofocus and lets you manually focus by magnifying the image 7x or 14x. This latter mode is primarily for shooting static subjects, such as still life images.

• Choice of media. You can use either Sony Memory stick and SD or SDHC memory cards to store images.

In addition to these two SLRs, Sony has announced a new full-frame SLR, a type of camera that has already seen a dramatic drop in price in the past year. The new model has many of the same specs as Sony's A900, but at an even lower price: $2000.

To me, this is pretty ground breaking: It's akin to the news in 2002 when Nikon introduced the 6-megapixel D100 for $2000 followed by Canon's Rebel for $1000 in 2003. However, they had to make a few compromises, including a viewfinder that has just slightly less field coverage than the A900, can only shoot 3 frames per second (the A900 shoots 5 fps) and does not include a remote control unit.

Yet all three models may disappoint some: Sony again failed to include HD resolution video on any of these new SLRs. That means that none of the six recently announced SLRs include HD resolution video, which seems to be one of this year's hottest SLR features.

All SLRs will be available this fall. —Terry Sullivan

National Public Radio: By Joel Rose

The digital transition now allows TV stations to offer four or more different channels instead of just one. So if you’re one of the 12 million or so Americans who only gets TV signals over the air, you may find yourself with some new options, including THIStv, a syndicated network that mostly shows old MGM movies; and Retro TV, which features reruns of Knight Rider and Magnum P.I. Two of the major networks are offering their own national weather channels. But Michael Copps of the Federal Communications Commission says the offerings are a far cry from what broadcasters could be doing with the new channels.

“If this spectrum is going to be used just for home shopping and Doppler radar, it’s falling far short of the purpose that it could be serving,” Copps says. “It has the capacity to represent local issues, local politics, local music, local religious and cultural diversity.”

Promises Unkept

In the 1990s, broadcasters were eager to show Congress that they deserved to get their share of the digital spectrum for free - just like they got their original analog spectrum for free. So they promised a few things, like newscasts customized by neighborhood.

“Whenever a new media is starting, there’s always the promise - the hope, really - of content that is local. … And then reality sets in - cold economic facts - and they tend to change the equation,” says Eli Noam, who teaches economics at Columbia University.

The cold economic facts are that broadcasters collectively spent $10 billion just switching over to digital TV. And content is expensive: Producing just one evening newscast can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Add to the financial pain the fact that local TV stations don’t have as many viewers as they used to, and more than half of the viewers they do have are watching on cable. So they’re not even seeing the new over-the-air channels, says Dennis Wharton of the National Association of Broadcasters.

“Let’s not kid ourselves. It costs money” to provide the channels, Wharton says. He adds that broadcasters may be disinclined to spend a tremendous amount of money on additional channels, since cable operators only carry one local channel per station. This means that 60 percent of viewers wouldn’t have access to the extra channels.

For complete updates on Digital TV visit - EZ Digital TV at http://www.ezdigitaltv.com

Source: Broadcasting&Cable

Author: John Eggerton

The US Treasury will get at least $139 million back when the National Telecommunications and Information Association has redeemed its final $40 DTV-to-analog converter box coupon, and likely more along the lines of a $200 million-plus return.

While NTIA cannot calculate exactly how much money will be returned until the program ends at the end of October, the deadline for requests was July 31 and NTIA published a final active coupon request figure of 4,287,379. That is the number of coupons it had sent out but had not been redeemed. With $310,796,690 in coupon funds left as of Aug. 12 (the last update), if every one of those coupons had to be redeemed, it would cost $171,496,516, leaving the government with $139,300,174 left over. But at the current average redemption rate of about 55 that would mean the refund to Treasury would be more on the order of $214 million.

For complete updates on Digital TV visit - http://www.ezdigitaltv.com

To paraphrase Henny Youngman, take my camera—or cell phone, MP3 player, computer, TV, video recorder—please! It’s too darned hard to use.

Frustration with confusing electronics gear caused 13 percent of consumers to return a product, according to a recent survey of more than 1,500 consumers by the NPD Group.

Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. I’ve had my share of I-want-to-fling-this-thing-out-the-window moments. A digital camera with baffling icons and a hard-to-fathom menu system comes to mind, as does a combo DVD recorder/VCR player that had me scratching my head. In fairness, much of the complexity stems from the fact that today’s gadgets pack so much capability that they’re harder to use than the single-function gizmos of yesteryear.

When you’re stymied, you might find an answer in the product literature or from a phone support line—if the manufacturer still provides them—or possibly at the company’s Web site. Online support, from manufacturers, third-party sites, or other users, is increasingly your best shot. Tomorrow, I’ll share some pointers on good places to get assistance. (Feel free to weigh in with your own suggestions in the meantime.)

Usability issues affect products of all types, according to our testers, who set up and use hundreds of products every year. Problems range from poor physical design (connections that are almost impossible to access, keyboards that are so small and cramped that you accidentally hit the wrong keys) to menus that are hard to navigate, mystifying icons and labels, and more. We score products on these attributes so you can factor ease of use into your buying decision.

Occasionally, we do find a product that excels on all counts, and it’s refreshing. My DVR, for instance, might be one of the easiest products I’ve ever used, and some TVs we’ve tested (Ratings available to subscribers) have wonderfully designed remote and menus. Ease of use carries a lot of weight with consumers, as a recent poll by JD Powers reflects: It was the most important factor in satisfaction among smart phone users, the company reports.

Have you returned a product because it was too hard to use? Any pet peeves? Conversely, do any gadgets stand out for simplicity? Share your experiences. —Eileen McCooey

The flood of new phones onto the market will continue into the fall, according to some information on release dates leaked to other websites. Boygeniusreport.com has uncovered Verizon’s October release dates for several new phones, including the Motorola Sholes, the first “Google phone” for both Motorola and Verizon, the second-generation BlackBerry Storm (undisclosed price), the BlackBerry Curve 2 and the LG Chocolate Touch ($230).

One interesting entry on the reported “sell sheet” is a phone called the Nokia Twist 7705 ($230), a square-shaped “female-centric” model that fans open to reveal a keyboard. It looks very much like the LG Lotus, available from Sprint for $50. But the sheet is suspect, since it shows the Samsung Rogue, successor to the troubled Glyde, debuting this month for the unlikely price of $230.

Phonenews.com reported that Best Buy plans to offer another flavor of Samsung’s popular Instinct phone, the HD. The Instinct HD, it reports, will have a high-definition output and Wi-Fi capability. It will also have a 5-megapixel camera, 3-in. display, and an improved Web browser. —Mike Gikas