Several months ago, Clark told you about a fight that's going on in the TV world between Verizon and the monopoly cable companies. The issue of contention has been Verizon's build-out of its FiOS (high-speed fiber-optic broadband Internet) network.

FiOS comes with the promise of a wide range of programming choices, which has the monopoly cable companies running scared and fighting it every step of the way. The hand-to-hand combat became so intense that Verizon began offering free HDTVs to new FiOS customers.

But now it turns out that Verizon has not been delivering on its promise. Adding insult to injury, Verizon is also refusing to grant media interviews about the "customer no service" debacle. They instead released a statement that simply confirms that there have been delivery delays.

The one-two punch of the statement and the refusal to talk to the media smells of a monopoly mentality, according to Clark. What would Verizon's "Customer Care Czar" Tom Maguire -- a former guest on the show -- have to say about this debacle? And will it result in a proposed class-action suit years from now, in which case nobody wins??

Clark would like to extend an offer to be the personal shopper for Verizon's CEO, helping him find the best deals on HDTVs. That way Verizon can honor its word to all FiOS customers. After all, Clark assumes Verizon wasn't actually trying to scam people -- they just don't have their act together, right?

In the early days of NetFlix, no one was quite sure if the company's business model would work. Now they've become an enormous success and have practically demolished competitors like Blockbuster.

The next challenge NetFlix has to face is the on-demand movie threat. So the company has come up with a $99 box that delivers on-demand flicks directly to your TV. A monthly subscription fee of about $9 is required to have access to some 10,000 movies.

Netflix is hoping this device will help them counter the on-demand services from some of the cable companies. But do you really want another box on top of your TV? That's become valuable real estate.

In related news, expect to see more tiny computers during the next few years. This trend should be a real boon for all the road warriors who have to lug around heavy laptops.

Clark has a new Hewlett Packard mini-laptop ($599) that weighs 2 pounds and has a full keyboard. It can fit easily in a woman's purse or inside a carry-on bag -- no need for a separate computer bag.

Think of it as HP's response to Clark's beloved "Triple E" PC. Clark was an early adopter of the "Triple E" and bought it for $399. Now he recently saw BJ's selling it for $274!

So business travelers and others, take heart. The days of hurting your shoulder are over. You no longer need to lug a heavy laptop and create a living for the chiropractors!

There's still a lot of mystery surrounding the upcoming February 2009 switch from analog to digital broadcasts in the TV world.

Here's the scoop: If you are among the 88% of people who get TV via cable or satellite, it is irrelevant to you that analog TV signals are going away next year. However, if you are one of the 12% who uses rabbit ears, listen up: Your rabbit ears will no longer work as they did come February 2009. You can keep your old TV, but you'll need to get a converter box.

The government is offering each American two $40 vouchers to help subsidize the purchase of the boxes. Please note the vouchers are only good for 90 days.

Dish Network, meanwhile, is offering free converter boxes to people who have the vouchers. Shipping and handling fees of $8.95 may apply.

PIRG recently sent secret shoppers out to electronics stores in about a dozen states seeking info about the digital TV switch. More than 80% of the time they were given false info by sales associates, who then tried to sell them an expensive multi-function box that would have been useless to them. Almost half of the time they also got wrong info about the time table for the conversion.

Stats from other organizations show that about 4 in 10 Americans haven't heard a word about the coming switch. Clark encourages everyone to help out elderly relatives who may still be getting TV via rabbit ears.

Here's another money-saving tip from Clark. The penny-pinching guru's mom recently moved into a new place and wanted a TV in her den and another in her bedroom. But the building wasn't wired for TV in the den. While Clark is a self-proclaimed techno idiot, his brother Gary is a tech genius. It was Gary who told Clark about a wireless video sender called the X10 that lets you send a video signal from one TV to another. The device cost Clark $40 (though it's now selling for around $50) and installation was a breeze.

With one simple piece of equipment, Clark solved the problem for his mom. But he missed out on the real purpose of the product. Cable and satellite companies charge you for every additional box for the extra TVs in your home. The X10, however, will let you pay for just one box and then bounce the signal to your other screens. You can stop paying extra every month for those additional boxes. There may be other devices like the X10, but Clark found this one was so easy to use -- it even came with a remote. The only drawback is that you must watch the same broadcast on all screens in your home. Thanks again, mom!

The Hollywood writer's strike has inadvertently changed the way people watch TV. People in their 20s and 30s have turned to watching the equivalent of TV on their computers. The growth of sites like YouTube and JibJab has definitely helped out. Nielsen Media Research reports that almost 50 percent of viewers 34 or younger now watch full-length TV shows on a computer.

TiVo allowed you to watch TV on your schedule; the next generation of developments will allow you to watch what you want, where you want across platform. Imagine being a cable company and seeing your vice grip on the market blown apart by tech innovations. Now ESPN is making its programming available to military personnel and educators/students anywhere in the world for free on their computers. That's going to be a major blow to the cable and satellite companies who rely on business from customers signing up to get ESPN. It's now also very easy to take your computer and run a cable to your TV, allowing you to watch Internet content on the boob tube. The next thing coming down the pike will be watching Internet content on your TV in hi-def. One day Clark's 2-year-old son will marvel at the fact that TV used to be something you watched on a schedule decided by the cable or satellite company.

Have you been hearing all about the coming switch to high-definition TV? There's some misinformation floating around that Clark wants to clear up. If you still get your reception via rabbit ears or a roof-based antenna, your old TV will not be obsolete when the switch is made from analog to digital signals in early 2009. That's because you'll be able to get a converter box for around $50 -- and the feds will even subsidize around $40 of it. So there's no need to buy a new HDTV -- unless you really want one! Meanwhile, how you watch TV is going to be changing. Hulu.com is a new website that will make network TV shows available via your high-speed internet connection. But the really big news that Clark's excited about is that 32-inch LCDs are being designed to hook up to your computer. You can even split the signal so that you don't have to check your e-mail on the boob tube. Clark loves all the changes and choices that are coming -- even though he doesn't really watch TV! We're moving into era where you'll be able to be anywhere in the world and watch the shows you love if you have a high-speed Internet connection.

Renters are about to enjoy the benefits of more competition for their cable business. The FCC plans to announce that landlords can no longer rip-off tenants by dictating which TV/cable/Internet providers they can use. Landlords previously could receive huge kickbacks from little private cable companies by signing exclusive deals for their buildings. When it comes to cable service, we don't have a lot of choice in this arena to begin with thanks to monopolies. The FCC's upcoming move will afford renters a little more wiggle room. Very rarely has a landlord dictating who you can go with for cable been a positive thing. In one unusual case, Clark's executive producer Christa once lived in an apartment where the management company offered her cable service at below-market price. Right now there's no telling how soon renters will feel the benefit of the upcoming FCC decision. On a related note, renters already have the right to go the satellite route. Under the Satellite Home Viewers Act, you can get satellite if you have a clear shot of the southern sky.

Clark has two free deals to share that each comes with its own catch. The Internet has been through so much in its brief history. In the "dot.bomb era," as Clark calls it, practically anything you wanted could be found for free online. Back in the mid-'90s, Clark mentioned during an interview that free long distance would be coming soon. The interviewer scoffed and thought he was crazy. Today we have various compromises where you can get free long distance if you pay a monthly or annual fee. The latest development now comes in the form of ThePudding.com, a new website that offers free long distance with one slightly strange catch. There's no software to download and it's all completely free, but ThePudding.com has artificial intelligence that listens in to your call and uses keywords to feed ads to your computer while you're using the service. Joel of Clark's team has volunteered to be the guinea pig and taste some Pudding. We'll let you know how it goes!

The second deal comes from the world of online music. Clark previously predicted that SpiralFrog, a company promising free music downloads, would hit his Internet graveyard before it even had a chance to launch. But now SpiralFrog is up and running and it offers what it promised -- in return for watching ads while the music downloads. There's so much pent-up demand for a service like this. Clark couldn't even get on the SpiralFrog site for the first few days after launch. This is a great way to legally get music for free. On a related note, Amazon has begun selling music downloads for 89-99 cents/song and they have no digital-rights management (DRM) restrictions. That means the music will work on an iPod or any other music player of your choice.

Have you ever wanted to see a film but didn't want to order it on Netflix and wait for it to come in the mail? And what if you just couldn't find the time to get out to your local Blockbuster and rent a copy? TiVo has teamed up with Amazon to make sure that you can get a wide variety of films delivered directly to your TV screen without ever leaving home. The pricing for the newly revamped "Amazon Unbox on TiVo" service runs about $2 for older films and $4 for new releases. The service was initially launched last winter, but back then you had to select your movie and watch it on your computer. This new upgrade is great for self-professed "techno-idiots" like Clark, who can now get their favorite flicks directly on the boob tube!

Best of all, this new technology marks a great stride toward IPTV or internet protocol television. With IPTV, the internet offers the ability to completely control the content on your screen. Here in America, we lag behind many other countries in internet and tech advances because of the shared monopoly of the cable and phone companies. But there's more neat stuff like this coming down the pike. Imagine the day when you'll basically have the entire Hollywood archive of movies at your fingertips. Get ready to break out the microwave popcorn!

Tivo and DVR's have changed the way advertisers think about reaching consumers now. Since you can fast forward through all the commercials on your DVR, the TV companies have to find another way to make money. The major networks are using the internet as a free place to post their shows but they don't allow the viewer to blow past the commercials. The CW, a merger of UPN and the WB, is trying something creative and new as well. Their idea is to have the hosts of their shows mention products within the show. This is already being done in Spain and has sort of made their shows look a lot like infomercials.

How would you like to have a phone number that you can keep for life? Today, you probably have a cell phone, a work phone and maybe even a home phone. People don’t know which one to try to find you. Wouldn’t it be great if people could call you at one number and you can always be reached? The service comes from “Grand Central,” and it’s free! We don’t know how long this service will be available, but it’s great if it works. Another great feature is Grand Central will tell you who is calling and you can listen to what the caller is saying without them knowing. How cool is that? Clark signed up already because he wants to test it out. We’ll let you know how it works.

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In other phone news, you may know that Clark carries two phones. One is from Metro PCS, which offers unlimited local calling in Metro PCS areas. Sprint wants to join this game and is now testing an unlimited calling plan in California. It’s for people who use their phones frequently, and it offers unlimited calling, text messaging, Internet access and e-mail. It costs $120 a month. That may be a little high for some people, but Sprint wants to see what people are willing to pay.

Have you heard the rumor that any old-fashioned television is going to be worthless after the first of the year? Well, it’s completely false. The networks send their signal to affiliate stations, and people who have rabbit ears send out an analog signal. After the first of the year, the analog signals will be shut off. And people who don’t get cable or satellite will not be able to receive a signal. That is true. But there are devices that will allow people to get the signal and see a perfectly clear picture. In fact, the federal government is going to offer gift certificates to buy one of the digital receiving boxes. So, for most people it will be free. Otherwise, it’ll be about $10. So, it’s completely a non-issue. You don’t need to throw out their television. But if yours croaks, keep in mind that HDTV prices continue to drop. Clark saw one the other day for $999. The same model was $1499 back in November.

The Consumer Electronics Show is on and announcements are pouring in about all of the very small and very large electronics on the market today. There seems to be nothing in a size Medium these days. One of the most popular projects is to display television shows clearly on cell phones. Samsung says it’s come up with a solution, and Verizon made an announcement in the last 24 hours about its version. We’ll see if any of this happens. Smaller laptops are also coming our way. In fact, some of them will be able to fit in ay man’s pocket or a woman’s purse. A few popular ones are the OQO, which runs Windows Vista, and the SX-GEN. These cost about $1,500 and there will be bugs. But Clark is psyched about the news. He carries a 5-pound laptop on trips and it’s a huge hassle to him.

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In other retail news, Clark talked recently about rebate products and the huge number of people who never file the paperwork on them. He asked in his latest poll if people who bought rebate items filed their information. Among our listeners, about 47 percent of people bought something with a rebate. And, of those people, 80 percent claimed they’d already filed their information. That’s impressive!

Christa, Clark’s executive producer, has three – count ‘em – three personal video recorders or DVRs. She thought Clark was crazy when he first talked about these in 1998, but now she can’t live without it. Now, Verizon is rolling out digital television service in many markets. It’s offering a DVR that serves the whole household. So, if you have a palatial household with 12 TVs, you only need one unit to service them all. The monthly fee is $20, or $240 a year. Slingbox and Sony don’t charge a monthly fee for their “play shifting” service. You just watch TV shows when you want on a laptop. So, if you’re traveling, you can watch your home news reports or how sports teams on a laptop for nothing. There is a difference in the free and paid programs though. With Tivo and the systems from television companies, services are super easy to use. With Slingbox and Sony, it’s a bit more complicated.

Clark wants you all to know that he is about to sleep with the enemy. After 12 years with a satellite company, he’s switching to cable for pay television service. Needless to say, his family is not too happy with him. His daughter lost the shows she’d saved on the DVR and his wife is having trouble getting used to the change. But the cable company had a better deal. They offered cash a decent amount of cash to switch, and Clark couldn’t say no. When Clark called Direct TV to disconnect, the representative said he’d never had anyone cancel after that many years. But Clark figures he’ll be back. The cable company will run out of money at some point, and Direct TV will have a full HDTV set up. That’s what Clark is hoping for.

TV is very important to a lot of people. Clark knows this so he and his wife bought a DVR back in the 90s. DVRs or digital video recorders tape shows digitally and allow people to pause or rewind live TV. The devices themselves are getting cheaper, but programming costs are still high. And change is coming in this industry. The next step with DVRs is to allow you to take your recorded shows with you. You will essentially be watching shows on portable devices that are carrying your recorded shows. So you’ll be able to control when and where you watch TV. And if family members want to watch different programs, they will each have one of these devices.

Americans haves suffered for the past 20 years because of a terrible decision Congress made to grant monopolies on pay television. It’s stifled innovation and led to horrible customer service and increased prices. Monopolies in any industry are a bad thing and that goes for long distance telephone companies, too. So, now that alternative phone options are all the go, the traditional phone companies are trying to get into TV. The problem is that with monopolies, companies have to curry favor with local governments by offering money. The cable TV industry has been doing it for years and now cable folks want Verizon and SBC to help them with these corrupt government “contracts.” But the state of Texas is putting up a fight regarding these corrupt “contracts.” Texas wants to rule that phone companies don’t have to pay the corrupt government money and cable companies don’t have to pay if they lose more than 30 percent market share. That will allow the marketplace to decide.