Dump Your Cable and Satellite TV; Switch to Digital TV

USA (SANEPR.com) October 21, 2008 -- In these turbulent, troubling economic times more than a few Americans are looking for ways to tighten the proverbial family budget belt and Retrevo - the matchmaking service for consumers and electronics - has a painless solution that can't be beat: dump your pricey cable or satellite TV subscription and switch to free digital TV.

Retrevo's report is available at the new DTV Info Center, created by Retrevo to help consumers prepare for February 17, 2009 when analog TV signals will be turned off and only digital TV signals will be transmitted over the air. The Info Center features an overview of DTV in plain and simple language, covering what's happening and when, a DTV converter box buying guide, and thoughtful, impartial analysis of the best HDTV sets to consider for consumers planning to replace their old analog TVs.

"Instead of spending $30, $50 or even $100 every month, cut the cable or toss the dish, and invest $20 in an antenna and another $20 on a DTV converter box that changes new digital signals to analog signals your old TV understands," said Vipin Jain, Retrevo founder and CEO. "They're super easy to install."

Besides the monthly savings, Retrevo's new report - Dump Your Cable Box and Save Money - details a host of benefits by keeping your old analog TV and switching to digital broadcast including super-crisp picture quality, letter box format, new channels, an on-screen guide, and great sound.

"Most people don't realize that broadcasters can now squeeze additional channels into what had been a single analog channel," said Andrew Eisner, Retrevo's director of community and content. "As a result, many stations, including most PBS stations, can offer two, three, even four channels that often aren't even available on cable or satellite services."

According to the National Association of Broadcasters, billions of dollars have been invested to bring next generation television to American consumers. Today, there are more than 1,630 stations in 211 markets delivering digital TV content.

"This is the biggest change to standard TV signals since color TVs were introduced over 50 years ago," said Jain. "The government is trying to make the change easy by offering $40 coupons that consumers can use to buy a basic converter box at their local Best Buy or Circuit City, but there are so many variables we thought it best put all the data in one place and make it easy and fun for people to navigate and read."

Added Eisner: "And if you're worried that cutting the cable habit will leave you deprived of your favorite shows, the DTV Info Center has tips and tricks for connecting your TV to the family network so you can try out sites like hulu.com or the set-top box that lets you stream shows via Netflix including NBC's 'The Office' and Showtime's 'Weeds.'"

About Retrevo
Retrevo is the first matchmaker for people and electronics that makes finding, buying and using electronics products simple and fun. Retrevo is the first to use artificial intelligence technology to analyze, classify and summarize all relevant information on electronics products from both industry and social media sources including publishers, manufacturers, retailers, social networks, blogs, user reviews and even inside Adobe PDF user manuals. Consumers are presented with objective product evaluations and answers in visually simple and actionable forms that give them the confidence and control throughout their entire electronics products relationship lifecycle. Retrevo's Board of Advisors includes Holly Brown, Former President of Internet at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., Banny Banerjee, Director of Stanford Joint Program in Design and Bruce Berkoff, Chariman of the LCD TV Association. For more information, please visit http://www.retrevo.com.