HDTV is coming down the pike, and cable operators have to step up to make sure you can get all those HDTV channels. However you might not like what you get. They’re trying to stuff more and more into the same amount of space. So they’re thinking up a couple different ways to do that. One is to force previous analog users to get a digital set top box. Check the article for more problems and solutions that the cable operators are dealing with.

But the really interesting part for me is that the same article also states that this is the first year in which HDTV televisions outsell SD televisions. By the end of the year, it is estimated that 26% of the population will have an HDTV in their home. This is especially interesting to me for two reasons. One, I’m a big fan of HDTV and the more HDTV’s get sold, hopefully the more programming we’ll get to see. And two, I’m also interested in HD gaming. I’ll be getting a PS3 later this year, and lots of people are saying that HD shouldn’t be that big a factor in this generation (witness the Wii). But with 26% of the general population having an HDTV by the end of this year, we know that HDTV will indeed be a huge part of the next-gen console equation.

Cable operators find it tough to swallow HDTV