In a time when technology gets cheaper and cheaper, no one likes to pay more for the same thing and the most infamously cheap -- when it comes to paying for programming -- cable provider is looking for your support. You see, cable companies are like most corporations in America, they don't really produce anything as much as they market and mark up other people's work, so when the actual content producers like Fox, Disney/ABC and Universal increase the price of its content, those costs get passed onto your cable bill. Now Time Warner realizes it's stuck in between a rock and a hard place facing the decision to not carry your favorite show, or raise your rates -- because we know the cost isn't going to come out of the profits -- it hopes to gain your support to get tough with the providers by launching a new site where you can vote. We're really not sure what the answer is on this one, but we do wish the content producers weren't allowed to bundle channels, that way when Time Warner Cable decided to hold out on USA HD, it wouldn't also mean we couldn't watch Syfy HD.

We all remember the fantastic crash and burn of Google Video before it gave up and just bought Youtube, so it should come as no surprise that Google would like to sell streaming videos online. The problem of course is that even if the the newest TV shows and movies were offered without commercials and at the same time as on iTunes or Amazon On Demand, streaming just doesn't seem worth as much as a downloadable file. And since the studios really don't like to give anyone any additional leverage in content negotiations, it would be hard for Google to offer the same content, in a less portable way, for a lower price. Of course the real answer is to offer rentals, but for some reasons only Netflix has been successful in acquiring a license to stream the latest TV Shows in HD on a subscription basis. But Google is bigger than Netflix and since Youtube streams far more content than anyone else on the web (10.5 Billion views in October vs second place Hulu at 856 Million according to comScore) the company might just find a way to leverage its position to bring us a new way to catch our favorite show.

The reviews are in and now Terminator Salvation can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home -- we do wonder why Warner didn't take the opportunity to release the ultimate Terminator collection, but we suppose that'll come later. Warner definitely has the strongest offering of any studio this week with a total of four titles including old favorites like Gremlins and The Green Mile. Also this week are two of our favorite British films with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, which are both entertaining and hilarious -- although not really comedies.

• Terminator Salvation (Warner)
• Ben 10: Alien Swarm (Warner)
• The Green Mile (Warner)
• Gremlins (Warner)
• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Universal)
• Snatch (Sony)
• A Christmas Tale (Criterion)
• Deadline (First Look)
• Death Warrior (Lionsgate)
• The Mask of Zorro (Sony)
• Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Fox)
• Paper Heart (Anchor Bay)
• Ride Around the World (Image)
• Secondhand Lions (New Line)
• UltraMarathon Man (ChannelSources)

According to the National Retail Federation, 29 percent of Black Friday shoppers visited electronics stores and some of the hottest items were those that are near and dear to our heart like HDTVs and Blu-ray players. So we wonder what you might have bought on Black Friday. Personally we wouldn't be found dead near any store on Thanksgiving weekend -- and generally avoid retail stores for the month of December -- but then again it shouldn't be much of a surprise that we do most of our shopping online.

It's Monday, and we know that getting the week started can be tough. We're here to help by letting you peek into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to tape on Monday, November 30th at 6:30PM ET. Think of it as a kind of time machine that will help you power through your day by reviewing what happened in the week HD-wise. Embedded Ustream tools and a list of topics after the break.

Surveys are really like a bad reality show or a train wreak, we just can't help but read them and this latest one from Frank N. Magid Associates is really something. Beyond the usual suspects, like only 63 percent of HD owners believing they are watching HD, is the fact that 13 percent of the respondents said they'd never heard of Hi-Def. We'd just love to hear how this question was phrased, because even the most introvert technophobes that we know have heard of HD. In fact we just can't think of a scenario where someone who lives on the grid wouldn't know what HD is.

So you've had the Blu-ray drive in your PC, and you just picked up the latest Radeon 5000 series video card, but you still don't have the TrueHD or DTS-HD lights lit up on your receiver. Well the wait is over this Friday -- if you use PowerDVD -- because Cyberlink is set to release a patch for PowerDVD 9 that will enable bitstream goodness to those equipped. Yep, that means the wait is over and you can finally build a HTPC that will match even the best Blu-ray player feature for feature.

Oh how we love the holiday season -- no, not because we just love to argue with our family over a meal, but because it's the best time of the year for movie lovers who would rather watch HD movies at home then to trek out to the theater. And so the season continues with Angels & Demons which is the latest Dan Brown inspired movie. We haven't seen this movie yet, but our eyes were rolling pretty hard when we read the book -- you know, when the main character safely gliding to the ground without a parachute -- so this one isn't exactly at the top of our list. Lionsgate has also opened the flood gates with a large selection of catalog titles.

• Angels & Demons (Sony)
• Air America (Lionsgate)
• Angel Heart (Lionsgate)
• Cujo (Lionsgate)
• Frailty (Lionsgate)
• My Bloody Valentine (Lionsgate)
• New Police Story (Lionsgate)
• The Way of the Gun (Lionsgate)
• Four Christmases (New Line)
• Santa Buddies (Walt Disney)
• Shorts (Warner)
• The Sopranos: The Complete First Season (HBO)
• Funny People (Universal)
• Ghost In The Shell 2.0 (Manga)
• Blood: The Last Vampire (Manga)
• Gomorrah (Criterion Collection)
• Ink (Indieblitz)
• Megafault (Asylum)
• My Brilliant Career (Blue Underground)
• Superstar (Facets Video)

There's been an unbelievable amount of internet chatter about the MPAA's petition to the FCC to allow cable companies to turn off the component inputs on cable boxes on certain content. And while we don't think this is a good idea on so many levels, we aren't willing to lie to garner support. But evidently others are, as you see headlines and online petitions with subjects like, don't let the MPAA turn off your home theater. We really aren't that surprised, but the facts are that Hollywood wants to use this to offer new programming and the plan is to not change existing offerings, so for those out there using analog, nothing would change, nothing. So you wouldn't be able to watch these new release movies that you can't watch now, big deal. Many times we give the FCC a hard time for caving to corporate interests -- encrypted basic cable, CableCARD's, tru2way, we could go on -- but in this case if you don't like it, just don't watch the movies. And before you post a comment saying how this is only the beginning and it will lead to the end of the world as we know it, then perhaps you should go back and review our favorite of the logical fallacies: Slippery Slope.

Contrary to popular belief, this economy and the digital transition have actually motivated more people to subscribe to pay TV. You often hear those in the "future is now" camp say that people are looking for ways to save money and so they're looking to free internet TV alternatives and over-the-air TV, but it just isn't true. Our first indication of this was a few weeks ago when Nielsen released a study that showed that about 25 percent of those who relied on antennas for TV, just switched to cable or satellite instead of getting a free converter box; and now the NPD group is reporting that the monthly per-capita spending on entertainment subscriptions is now up to $115 a month. At this point the internet video movement isn't looking that disruptive after all, but with all the technology out there, we just have to believe that something is going to disrupt the existing archaic model.

The end of college football is nearly upon us and although we have a hard time keeping our cool as we're reminded how anti-climatic the season ends, the big rivalry games are enough to keep us happy for at least a few more weeks. And of all those rivalries, there aren't many bigger in college football than Ohio State vs Michigan and although nether team is that great this year, both bring their best game to this matchup.

CFB
#10 Ohio State at Michigan ABC 12:00 PM Sat
#11 Oregon at Arizona ABC 8:00 PM Sat

NFL
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens CBS 1:00 PM Sun
Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears NBC 8:20 PM Sun

NBA
Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers TNT 10:30 PM Thurs
Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics ESPN 8:00 PM Fri

NHL
Detroit Red Wings at Nashville Predators Vs 7:00 PM Mon

It is no secret that we have a love hate relationship with TiVo. Many of us use them everyday and could easily fill your ear with gripes. It is one of the reasons we've had TiVo on a deathwatch for almost half of the company's 10 year life. Now we do believe it is the best HD DVR set-top on the market --which isn't saying much -- and because we believe that there is something here to salvage, we try our best to offer some constructive criticism. So when our optimistic side saw news about the $50 price break on the current models, we started to think, dream, that this might be a closeout and that a new TiVo might be imminent.

Here are the facts. TiVo hasn't released a new DVR since the TiVo HD in the Summer of 2007. The last major TiVo announcement was September of 2008 when a new DirecTV HD TiVo was revealed. The chip that makes the TiVo magic happen just got a big upgrade when Broadcom announced the super feature rich BCM7125. A new 802.11N WiFi adapter was submitted to the FCC, even though the current TiVos can barely utilize all of a 802.11G connection. Add all of this in with the fact that 2010 is supposed to be the big year for a real tru2way launch, and we officially have our hopes up that TiVo has a big announcement for 10th CES in January. Now before you get too excited, we should point out that TiVo hasn't made any big announcements at CES since 2005, and has even told some that TiVo won't make big announcements at the show because they tend to be overshadowed. Now we'd argue that if you have something big enough to be a highlight of the show, then there is no better time, otherwise yeah, wait for a slow news day. All that being said, the original DirecTV TiVo HD (2004) and the Series 3 (2005) were both announced at the big show. Of course we will have to wait to find out, but in the meantime click through to see our personal wish list.

The biggest blockbuster of the year finally gets to see the light of Blu today and we can all enjoy those weird lighting effects in HD in the comfort of our own home. But also this week, there are a few new shows from Fox and HBO as well as more than one all time classic like Fight Club and The Professional. So in other words, if you don't see something you like this week, you don't like movies or TV shows.

• Star Trek (Paramount)
• Bruno (Universal)
• Chasing Amy (Miramax)
• Clerks (Miramax)
• Fight Club (Fox)
• It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas (Fox)
• Franklyn (Image)
• Galaxy Quest (DreamWorks)
• Gone With The Wind (Warner)
• Is Anybody There? (Magnolia)
• Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (Ideale)
• Lords of the Street (Phase 4)
• Moonshot (A&E)
• My Sister's Keeper (New Line)
• National Geographic: Darwin's Darkest Hour (National Geographic)
• The Open Road (Anchor Bay)
• The Professional (Sony)
• Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Sony)
• Rome: The Complete Series (HBO)
• Scrubs: The Complete Eighth Season (Disney)

It's Monday, and we know that getting the week started can be tough. We're here to help by letting you peek into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to tape on Monday, November 16th at 6:30PM ET. Think of it as a kind of time machine that will help you power through your day by reviewing what happened in the week HD-wise. Embedded Ustream tools and a list of topics after the break.

There aren't many around that're bigger fans of free over-the-air HD than us, but we're also really big fans of wireless technologies. So when we originally heard that the FCC was considering commandeering broadcast DTV spectrum for wireless broadband we weren't so keen on the idea. But then we saw this Multichannel News story and it really got us thinking about the ramifications of killing free HD as we know it. The fact is that HD via ATSC only works in applications where the antenna is stationary, which means that cable or satellite work just as well, but of course aren't free. Which means that the only real benefit of broadcast DTV is it is free. This makes us wonder, considering only 10 percent of America relies solely on over-the-air TV, is this really the best use of this valuable wireless spectrum? Or would it be better to use it for wireless broadband? Just think, ATSC uses a 15 year old modulation technology and still manages to pump almost 20 Mbps across one channel. If we freed even part of this for wireless broadband, we could have as much throughput as we wanted to our phones and laptops almost anywhere in the country. So we want to know.

What would the FCC have to do in order to make you happy to give up your free HD? Would free basic cable (with HD of course) make it ok? Or maybe some restrictions are wireless broadband that would make it more affordable for consumers? Maybe just reducing the number of channels in each area by restricting their use to actual public benefits (no infomercials etc) would be a good compromise.

Ultimately we believe that DVRs are going to eventually invalidate non-live linear TV as we know it -- and broadcast TV and its affiliate model along with it. In fact this buyout by the FCC might be the perfect exit strategy for them. The question is will it take 5 years or 25? And will the public or corporate America come out better off as a result.