Yeah, you read that right. I said 2009. I KNOW it’s 2008, but I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about 2009. February, to be exact.

And what, you ask, is so special about February 2009? Well, friend, that’s when all the channels will be forced to broadcast their schtuff in a digital format, as opposed to analog. It also means people without HD TV & their tuners will have to get a converter box thingy to tune in those over-the-air signals. (Click here for more details.)

The reason this is blog-worthy is because of a small surprise I had this week.

Kim and I have been without a dedicated DVD player for about a year and a half now. We had a fantasmic Panasonic DVD recorder, but I mistakenly placed it on TOP of the VHS player we had. And that sucker was old, and cranked out a TON of heat. Or so I found out.

Yes. I fried our DVD recorder. Toasted it something fierce. It wouldn’t have been so painful if I hadn’t toasted the OTHER one I had, a year prior to that. :\ After a few heated conversations with the Panasonic support people (who, I should note, were calm and professional) I finally read that page one section in the manual. About not putting their delicate equipment over other hot stuff. Again, a painful lesson to learn… So consider yourself warned.

Anyhow, we’ve been using our portable Phillips DVD player for the past year, hooking it up to the TV through the various video cables. It wasn’t an ideal situation. So this year we decided to use some of the Christmas money we were given and buy a proper DVD / VHS player combo, to simplify our entertainment lives.

On Saturday Kim and I went on a date, and happened to drop into Circuit City to browse their players. The one we wanted, a Sony, was out of stock. BUT, the salesman said, there WAS an open box item in the front of the store. So we wander up and take a gander. Sure enough, it’s an identical item, but marked down considerably.

And beside it? A Panasonic VHS / DVD Recorder combo. The Panasonic DMR-EZ47VK, to be precise. It was marked down from $289 to $189, which was substantial. Especially for a combo player that records to DVD.

So we snatched it up. True, it was $90 more than I expected to spend, but considering the cost and the benefits (and the 1 year warranty), I couldn’t resist.

So we get it home, hook it up, and all is well. Then I read the manual, slowly, and my eyes light up. This thing didn’t just have a tuner in it’s gut, it had a digital tuner inside! Curious, I have it automatically load all the channels it can pick up, and then I changed the channel… Only to realize I’m watching a football game in crystal-clear, pristine high definition.

I was shocked. Delighted. Astounded. We have a Samsung box, 4:3 29″ screen, but apparently it’s HD-ready because there the signal was in all its widescreen glory.

So that was my thrill of Sunday. Watching TV in HD for the first time in my very own home. Almost makes me want to get a bigger TV… Someday….

Kevin