Oh noes! Merely months after Freeview execs were celebrating the surprising uptick in Freeview HD users, in flies word that bandwidth is already becoming an issue. You see, Freeview was initially launched as a "satellite only service using MPEG-2 video compression software," while the HD terrestrial component uses MPEG-4. Transponder space on the Optus D1 satellite is "rapidly being used up, and any further expansion of data bandwidth would require Freeview broadcasters to purchase more space from Optus." If the old MPEG-2 system was suddenly canned and replaced with MPEG-4, every last satellite Freeview user would be forced to buy a new set-top-box. We shouldn't have to explain the glaringly obvious problem with that scenario. Thus, the only stop-gap solution is to simulcast the signals, which obviously requires oodles of bandwidth. Unfortunately, broadcasters are gun-shy about dropping even more cash to expand the available space without assurance of a good return on their original investment, so as of now, expansion plans wait while bigwigs figure out where to get more funding.

Add two more to the growing list of news stations in America that have made the switch to high-def. Word from respective locals informs us that WHNT (the local CBS affiliate) in Huntsville, Alabama is now broadcasting news in HD, while KMGH (the local ABC affiliate) in Denver, Colorado has done the same. Any others out there needing recognition while we're on a roll?

[Thanks, Mike and Steven]

For anyone who's still confused about the digital television transition -- somehow missing the TV ads, radio spots, numerous articles and a part of the small minority not vigorously refreshing the Engadget HD front page -- the FCC is sending staff out on tour (sans the slick bus, didn't anyone tell them you've got to have a bus? It worked so well for HD DVD...ok maybe not such a great idea) to spread the 0 and 1 gospel. 23 cities identified as having more than 100,000 households or with at least 15% getting their TV strictly via antenna are on the list to be visited by a commissioner, while others will have to make do with mere staffers. FCC.gov has thedetails on when and where they'll be (warning: PDF read link), feel free to see when they're coming to your town. Will you save your ticket stubs to tell everyone "I was at digital switch '08"? (Note: FCCapolooza '08 is not actually converging on Haight-Ashbury in a phenomenon of cultural and political rebellion, but it would be much better if it were).

[Via Variety]

[Image courtesy of Supertouch Art]

A few UK residents felt the pain Raid-style after the latest Freeview signal upgrade knocked certain receivers out of service last week. The upgrade has been rolling out in waves for the last month, unfortunately owners of some Daewoo, Labgear, Triax and Portland digital boxes have no choice but to buy a new box to keep getting television service. Hopefully our own digital transition doesn't end up with people trashing their box after a couple of years -- while Freeview says only a "minority" were affected by the enhancement, we're pretty sure it doesn't seem that way if your TV is one of the ones knocked out.

In an effort to reduce the ZOMG surely to be experienced by whatever percentage of Wilmington, NC residents are unprepared for their early entry into a digital television-only world September 8, the city will perform a one minute Las Vegas-style "soft test" August 19 at 7:30 p.m., prompting customers with analog to upgrade their equipment to receive digital broadcasts. Readers have already reported seeing ads mentioning the upcoming early analog-shutoff, and it looks like the regions main broadcasters (WWAY, WECT, WILM and WSFX) appear to be doing all they can to get the word out, so everybody tell a friend, okay?

In case you haven't heard, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is on a spending spree fueled by its goal to become the country with the bestest of everything. Naturally, that claim includes broadcast HDTV, right? Well, as we've seen in the U.S., there's more to getting HD off the ground than the infrastructure. Lots of channels with little content does not a happy HD populace make, and those are exactly the growing pains that UAE is experiencing. The country has spent some $5-billion on HD infrastructure that has been ready to roll for some 2.5-years, but it's been a, um, desert in terms of content. The market rollout with respect to HD-media is reversed from the situation we had in the U.S. -- the UAE is seeing HDM spark HD broadcast -- but it's still all about content. Our advice is to rely on early adopters until content reaches critical mass, and then the market will catch on. And trust us -- it's worth the wait.

It sure took forever to hit the century mark, but it seems as if 200 is growing closer every single day. Up next on the list of news stations who've decided to turn in their SD card for a much clearer HD variant is El Paso's own KTSM-TV. The NBC affiliate is the first in the region to offer up 1080i newscasts, and it's doing so just in time for the sure-to-be-suffocating Olympics coverage. Enjoy!

[Thanks, Chris]

In case you missed the Discovery Channel's "When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions" and are too frugal to buy the Blu-ray boxed set, NASA TV will be airing two hours of historical footage in HD next week. It's a small subset of the 150-hours of footage that made the leap to HD for the Discovery Channel's production, but like we said, it's free. Honestly, some of the footage drawn from the older end of the 50-year span was less than stellar in picture quality, but that's a limitation of the source material. The special will air on August 8, 11 and 12 at 9AM EST. If your carrier sends you the bits, let us know how it looks in the comments below.

While Alabama has been the recipient of quite a few new HD channels here recently, folks located in and around Montgomery will be treated to even more high-def. The local NBC affiliate (WSFA 12) has become the first station in the central part of the state to air its local newscasts in high-definition. WVTM-TV in Birmingham already claimed that "first in Alabama" crown, but WSFA isn't complaining about being number two overall. Tune in tonight and let us know how it looks.

We had a feeling folks on both sides of the WNWO / Buckeye CableSystem table would come to terms in order to keep the Olympics coverage flowin' despite their disagreements, but it seems the future beyond that is still murky. The local NBC affiliate in Toledo, Ohio will allow coverage to continue on the aforesaid carrier until August 24th, but there are still terms to hash out before a retransmission agreement for September and beyond is agreed upon. Nothing like broadcast drama, right?

[Thanks, Keith]

Wilmington, North Carolina, come on down! It looks like Carol Brady will be enlisting the help of none other than Bob Barker in getting people to convert over to DTV. The former host of 'The Price is Right' has shot a public service announcements (PSAs) specifically for the guinea pigs of Wilmington, NC as well as a spot intended for nationwide consumption. Check out the link below to see the spot for yourself -- we've got admit that Bob Barker looks less aged than the TV.

Read - Watch Bob barker PSA

There are HD junkies, and then there are HD junkies. You know, those folks who can't leave on a business trip without packing in a USB HD tuner to catch some OTA goodness once they arrive. Here's to you, latter guy / gal:

"I travel quite frequently on business, and while some hotels I end up in have HD programming, many still do not. I'm considering picking up an OTA TV tuner that I can just plug into my laptop's USB port, but there are just so many options. Any help out there on which performs the best and which comes with the nicest PVR software?"

We're going to assume this fellow is in search of a TV tuner that works here in the US (ATSC), but feel free to chime in with DVB-T, etc. options as well. Oh, and be sure to signify whether your recommendation only works on Mac or PC if that is indeed the case.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

Another month, another bitter argument between a cable carrier and a local broadcaster. On the docket today is Toledo's own WNWO-TV, a local NBC affiliate that is (of course) asking for "fair compensation" for its signal. Pertinent to this conflict is the fact that NBC is the station in question -- you know, the main channel responsible for delivering live Olympics coverage in just over a week. As it stands, both parties feel confident that a deal will be reached, but if the sides cannot come to an agreement, local viewers will be forced to throw up an antenna or seek alternate sources in order to catch local NBC action. We'll be sure to keep an eye on things as the nail-biting discussions continue.

Up until now, the digital TV transition test markets have seen their tests go over pretty smoothly. Wilmington, Las Vegas and Orlando were able to complete their respective trials without too many issues, but apparently the folks up in the Pacific Northwest aren't nearly as prepared. During a 5:00PM newscast late last week, Seattle's KING 5 simulated an analog cutoff for around half a minute which presented users watching the analog signal with a "snowy" picture. Another test was scheduled for 10:00PM, but the outcry from individuals who "had their television reception interrupted" by the afternoon test forced a postponement. If any of you reading this now just happened to be one of those characters freaking out by the distorted imagery, do yourself a favor and click here to get prepared for the 2009 cutover.