Clean Homes Mourn the Loss of Product Pitchman Billy Mays

If you are like me, you have at least one bottle of Orange Glo, OxiClean or some other "as seen on TV" product in your house somewhere and you were saddened by the news of the passing of Billy Mays this weekend. Most American TV watchers (and house cleaners!) could recognize his trademark booming voice from his famous commericals and infomercials.

"It is with incredible sadness that we have to report that Billy Mays died in his sleep last night," said a statement from the Discovery Channel, where Mays was featured on the reality TV show Pitchmen. "Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth. Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family at this time of incredible loss."

In honor of Mr. Mays, tell us about your favorite infomercial product and how it changed your life for the better.

RCN Adds Shalom TV to Free Video ON DEMAND Line-Up

RCN recently announced that will now offer Shalom TV as part of its free Video ON DEMAND cable television service.

"We are so thrilled to bring Shalom TV to RCN's customers," said Mark S. Golub, President of Shalom TV. "RCN provides Shalom TV's unique spectrum of programming -- everything from our Jewish Film Festival, Israel and interviews with the leading figures on the world Jewish scene to Shabbat TV Kids and Jewish Studies."

Shalom TV is the only television network with programs from the renowned 92nd Street Y and the only national network featuring Jewish programming for children. In addition, it is the only place on television where viewers can learn to read and understand Hebrew, study a page of Talmud and learn the mysteries of Kabbalah.

Shalom TV's programming offers extended coverage of AIPAC's annual policy conference, the major addresses from the UJC's annual General Assembly, talks by major intellectual and rabbinic figures on the world Jewish scene, and conversations with leaders of national Jewish organizations.

Look for Shalom TV in your RCN On Demand menu. Not a subcriber? Find RCN cable service plans and pricing available in your area.

CenturyTel and EMBARQ Merger Approved By FCC

CenturyTel and Embarq Corporation announced last week that CenturyTel's pending acquisition of EMBARQ has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The merger now has received all necessary approvals, and the companies expect the merger to be effective on July 1, 2009.

“The FCC’s approval is a significant and exciting milestone toward completing the merger,” said Glen F. Post III, CenturyTel's chairman and chief executive officer. “It has been a rigorous review process and we are pleased to have the FCC’s approval and recognition that the combination of CenturyTel and EMBARQ offers many benefits to our customers and the communities we serve.”

“We have committed to the FCC that we will remain focused on infrastructure development and broadband deployment after completion of the merger,” said Tom Gerke, EMBARQ's chief executive officer. “Our combined company is committed to investing in our communities and providing our customers high-quality, reliable communications and expanded broadband services.”

We will keep an eye out for how this will affect current customers and ordering service from the combined company moving forward.

DIRECTV and DISH Network Agree On One Thing: No Taxes in Kentucky!

Satellite television service rivals DIRECTV and DISH Network rarely agree on who has the most HD channels or the lowest prices. However, the two entertainment giants recently found one thing to agree on. In a recent joint statement, DIRECTV and DISH Network applauded the Kentucky Supreme Court's unanimous decision to strike down a Kentucky law allowing local governments to tax satellite TV.

"The decision is a resounding affirmation of federal law that was designed to promote competition by preventing local governments from imposing unfair taxes on satellite TV service. In addition to promoting competition, Congress imposed the prohibition because it believed it was inappropriate to impose burdensome taxes on national TV services that beam their signals directly to homes from satellites and, unlike cable TV services, do not use or impact public property. The Kentucky Supreme Court faithfully obeyed Congress's will and we believe this ruling is a great win for DIRECTV and DISH Network, and for consumers."

The decision may help the satellite companies bring stiffer competition to local cable service companies that are still subject to local taxes.

Comcast and Time Warner Partner to Put Cable TV Content Online

Time Warner recently announced that it is partnering with Comcast to distribute its television content online. The agreement between the companies will make it possible for Comcast customers to access programming from Turner Broadcasting’s entertainment networks free online and on demand.  In addition, Comcast announced it will begin a national technical trial of its “On Demand Online” service in July carrying programming from Time Warner’s Turner networks TNT and TBS.

"We have been working for a year to bring more TV and movie content to our customers online and we are thrilled that Time Warner is joining us in our national technical trial," said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast. "Ultimately, our goal is to make TV content available to our customers on all platforms.”

The On Demand Online technical trial will deliver more TNT and TBS programming online, free of charge to Comcast video customers, than what had previously been made available. Comcast customers in the trial will be able to access TNT programming like The Closer and Saving Grace, as well as the TBS line-up including Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns and My Boys. The shows will be initially accessible on Comcast.net, Fancast.com and will soon be available on TNT.tv and TBS.com.

The only catch is that customers must first prove they have cable or satellite service before accessing the content and a high-speed Internet connection is recommend for the best viewing experience.

For more, check out Time Warner, Comcast test approach to more TV on Web.

Blu-ray Slow to Gain Mass Popularity

Even though Blu-ray was declared the winner in the HD format battle, it seems that not many of us are jumping on board with the new technology. Be it the price of entry or some other barrier, one in ten Americans (11%) own a HD DVD player while only 7% own a Blu-ray player, according to a report from Harris Interactive. However, those numbers don't include people like me that use their Playstation 3 for watching Blu-rays - looking at just those numbers, 9% own a Sony Playstation®3 (which plays Blu-ray ). 3% have the external HD DVD drive for the Xbox® 360 (which plays HD DVDs).

It seems that there are a variety of reasons that have kept the general public from taking the Blu-ray plunge. According to the poll, some people want to wait for prices on the technology to come down. Others like having standard definition discs bundled in the same set as the high definition discs, and some just like having a digital copy included as well.

So who out there has jumped in with Blu-ray?

How's the Digital Transition Treating You?

Ok, it's a little over a week since the digital transition occurred, so how are you feeling about it? I figure some of you are fine and other are having a bit of trouble.

For those of you that didn't miss a beat, I'm guessing you have TV service like cable or satellite. Now for the rest, I assume your dealing with installing the converter box and arranging the rabbit ear antennas to view your programs.

I just have to say that in January I bought a converter box, and frankly I don't know what happened because I was never able to get the thing to work correctly. Each channel came through with some sort of problem. I felt like I had to adjust the antenna every time I changed channels, and lets face it, that totally negates the comfort of having a remote. 

So after I learned the DTV transition would be delayed until June, I started thinking about getting cable or satellite TV. I certainly didn't want to be left in the dark but I also didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for TV service. I was convinced it would be too much, but I was wrong. I found a great deal and now I wonder what took me so long to get TV service. I now have great reception and tons of movie channels.

I suggest you visit ConnectMyCable and shop around to see if you find a great deal that fits your budget!

American Women Choose Apple as Top Tech Brand

According to the results of Women & Digital Life, a study by Solutions Research Group Consultants Inc., Apple is the top technology brand among American women, followed by Sony, Microsoft, Dell and HP. The study asked the open-ended question "which technology brand or company do you admire the most?" Twenty percent of women who responded mentioned Apple. Sony came in second with 14%, Microsoft was third with just over 10%, followed by Dell at 10% and HP at 6%.

Other brands mentioned in the top 20 included Verizon, Google, LG, Nintendo, Samsung, Gateway, AT&T, Panasonic, GE, IBM, BlackBerry and Comcast.

Women are an increasingly important market for technology brands – in fact, an estimated 45 million women in the U.S. bought a digital product in the last six months.

“As women close the gender-gap in technology use, being top-of-mind is more important than before” said Donna Hall, co-director of the Women & Digital Life study. “Teens and young women influence their parents’ choices while moms make choices for themselves and their children, suggesting strong potential for additional Apple products in the home.”

This is the second in a series of releases from the Women & Digital Life study which is based on in-depth interviews and explores how women navigate in the age of broadband, mobile and social media.

For more information on the study, check out SRG's Digital Life in America.

Comcast Plans More Access to NHL Network Content

Good news for hockey fans! Comcast and NHL Network recently announced that they have signed a long-term agreement to add the network to Comcast's Digital Classic level of service by the start of the 2009-10 NHL season. With this new agreement, the NHL Network will be available to nearly two-thirds of the Comcast digital cable customer base.

"We're excited to extend our relationship with Comcast and its customers by providing more NHL programming to more fans, as this is another important step in NHL Network's ongoing pursuit of broader distribution," said John Collins, NHL COO.  "We are pleased that Comcast has seen value in the NHL Network to expand its commitment and are confident that there will be more expansion deals for the Network to come."

In addition to live NHL games aired on NHL Network, Comcast's Digital Classic customers get access to special event programming, including on-location at NHL Winter Classic™, NHL All-Star, NHL Entry Draft and Stanley Cup™ Final, post-game press conferences, IIHF World Junior hockey, documentaries and profiles, plus NHL on the Fly™, which airs nightly throughout the hockey season. Fans will also have access to more NHL On Demand programming including condensed games, player profiles, historic games and more.

For more programming information, check out NHLNetwork.com. If you are not currently a customer, find Comcast digital cable plans and pricing available in your area.

Comcast Offers Free VOD Hours

Attention all you movie lovers, Comcast is offering 24 hours of free video-on-demand to its’ subscribers. This applies to select new releases such as Gran Torino, The Cell 2, Friday the 13th and Inkheart all coming out this month.

Other VOD titles that are eligible include My Bloody Valentine, Razortooth, New in Town, Octane, Kaidan, 12 Rounds and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. All titles are available in high-definition for a clearer, more enjoyable viewing experience.

For those of you looking for ways to save money, this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of free VOD this month. Relax, kick back and enjoy the show! For more information, visit the Home Media Magazine.