Free Republic

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- People who gleefully treated themselves or others to a shiny new ReplayTV digital video recorder this Christmas may not be as happy anymore. DVRs are the latest alternative to VCRs, and an untold number of customers recently took advantage of ReplayTV's dramatic price drop to $149 for its lowest-end 40-hour model, thinking the deal included three years of service, which is needed for the devices to work. Now, some are furious, after their service was disconnected and they were told they must pay additional fees to reactivate it. "It's almost like buying a car and having...

As the broadcast networks rev up to debut dozens of comedies, dramas and not-so-real reality shows, the new fall television season already is a smash hit, financially. Advertisers placed $9.3 billion in advance orders for commercial time, blowing away last year's $8.1 billion mark. This year total TV ad sales, excluding cable, could crack the $60 billion barrier for the first time. Yet many of the biggest buyers look at the heights the ad market has reached and see a precipice. In a few years over half of the nation's 108 million homes will have digital recording technology that will...