TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPICS: DIGITAL TV / ONLINE OFFICE / VIDEO UPLOAD

In today's TOURBUS, you'll learn about the Great Impending Analog To Digital TV Switchover. Will it affect you and your TV? And guess what? Installing office software on your computer is *so* 2007. All the cool kids are using web-based word processors now. I have some advice for folks who want alternatives to YouTube, reviews of photo printers, and finally, some help on when it's safe to ignore an annoying error message. Read on!

The Analog to Digital TV Switchover

For 80 years, over-the-air television signals have been broadcast in analog format. But a new US federal law mandates that TV stations must broadcast in digital format only, beginning in February 2009. Is this the end of free TV? Is it a vast conspiracy to force everyone to pay for cable or satellite TV? Will your current TV need to be replaced with a digital TV? Is Digital TV the Same as HDTV?

Why is this happening, and what's the difference between analog and digital signals? This helpful article will answer your questions about digital TV, show you who is affected by the analog to digital switchover, and what you'll need to do...

http://askbobrankin.com/analog_to_digital_tv_conversion.html

Free Online Word Processors

Word processing software is one of the most common applications found in offices and homes around the world. The top two word processors, Microsoft Word and Corel's Word Perfect, are very capable, but are also expensive and require a lot of disk space on your computer. There are some excellent free word processors you can download, but you still have to install and maintain the software. And all of these are "landlocked" in the sense that it's difficult to access and share documents with others online.

Fortunately, there are several free online web-based word processors that you can use to create, edit, publish and share files online -- without having to purchase or install any software. Here are my reviews of the online word processors that are leading the pack...

http://askbobrankin.com/free_online_word_processors.html

Free Video Upload Sites

If you've decided that you want to achieve video stardom on YouTube, good luck with that. With over 100 million videos watched every day, chances are mighty slim that you'll find fame there. There are some alternatives to YouTube, such as Yahoo Video, Myspace and Facebook.

But you'll still have plenty of competition at these huge and popular sites. Here are 12 free video hosting alternatives for people who want to share their videos with the world, in a setting that's more intimate, and perhaps more relevant to the intended viewers:

http://askbobrankin.com/video_hosting.html

My Top 3 Photo Printers: Dependable, Inexpensive, and Creative

Last month I shared some of my favorite portable inkjet printers, so now here's my take on photo printers that are compact, inexpensive, and perfect for family photos. If you're an avid shutterbug, or you don't like having to wait for your digital photos to be developed and printed, a home photo printer is a great idea.

I've reviewed Sony's Picture Station, the Kodak Easyshare Photo Printer 300, and Fuji's Mobile Printer MP-70. Read on to learn which of these low-cost photo printers will meet your needs...

http://askbobrankin.com/inexpensive_photo_printers.html

Low Disk Space Warning: Ignore, Disable, or Obey?

A reader concerned about popup warnings asked me this:

> Windows is giving me a warning that says "You are running out
> of disk space on Local Disk(C:)" My friend told me this is not
> important and offered to disable the warning popup for me, but
> I'm not sure. Can I safely ignore these 'Low Disk Space' warnings?

Although they are designed to warn you when potentially dangerous circumstances arise, some of these warnings are benign and can be closed without taking any actions. And there's the problem... as a result of so many warning messages, and due to a general fear of ANYTHING that pops up on the screen, some users tend to become desensitized and ignore ALL of them. And that can be bad. Sometimes.

So is this "Low Disc Space" message important? Can you ignore it, disable it, or will doing so put your computer at risk? The correct answers are Maybe, Yes, and Perhaps. Here's the whole story:

http://askbobrankin.com/low_disk_space_warning.html

That's all for now, see you next time! -- Bob Rankin