In case you have not seen it.....Linux Media Center

[Bill Mullen]

On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 13:16:12 -0400
f at ke1g.mv.com (Bill Freeman) wrote:

> >   Analog is the word there.  :-)  I was referring to HD TV via
> > DirecTV.  And unfortionatly, the only solution which is coming out for
> > this is lead by Microsoft in a Microsoft/DirecTV partnership.
> 
> I continue to thank the gods that TV has nothing worth watching which
> also benefits from HD.  Of course, they'll eventually stop broadcasting
> NTSC format video at all, and then I'll be screwed.

Eventually? Try February 2009:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_television_in_the_United_States#Analog_shutoff_process

Interestingly enough, AFAICT nothing about this law actually requires that the cable companies stop offering an analog tier on their systems (one that would still work with legacy NTSC-only sets and without a converter box), they would just have to convert the digital broadcast signal to analog on their own, before putting it on the wire (or get it directly from the broadcasters in some non-OTA manner, I suppose). It only ensures that OTA stations will no longer be permitted to broadcast such a signal themselves for direct reception by such legacy TV sets.

-- 
Bill Mullen  moon at lunarhub.com  MA, USA  RLU #270075  MDV2007.0/MDK9.0
"You can't reason someone out of something they weren't reasoned into."
 -- Mark Twain