The Senate moved the digital TV transition one step closer to reality on Thursday, setting a firm date for television broadcasters to switch to all-digital transmissions.
Lawmakers gave broadcasters until April 7, 2009, to end their traditional analog transmissions. The so-called "hard date" was included in a sweeping budget bill.
The bill also would provide $3 billion to help millions of Americans buy digital-to-analog converter boxes for their older television sets -- so those consumers will continue to receive a signal once the switch is made permanent.
National Association of Broadcasters president Eddie Fritts said the 2009 deadline "represents a victory for millions of Americans who could have been left stranded by a premature end to analog television service."
The move to all-digital will free valuable radio spectrum, some of which will be allocated to improve radio communications among fire and police departments and other first responders.
Separately on Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission moved up by four months the date by which small TV sets sold in the U.S., those 13 inches to 24 inches, must have tuners to receive digital signals. The new deadline will be March 1, 2007. Sets under 13 inches will also have to have digital tuners by that date.
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Star-struck: South Africa will launch the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere next week, hoping to put itself on the map as a destination for star-gazing tourists, the country's science minister said on Friday.
The Southern African Large Telescope, or SALT, is located near the town of Sutherland in the remote and arid Karoo region, famed for its big skies.
"This puts us on the map as an astronomy destination," said Mosibudi Mangena, minister of science and technology. "We are able to use our geographic advantage as the Karoo is very dry and clear and good for observing the universe.
"There are also certain areas of the universe that are better viewed from the southern hemisphere."
SALT is a massive hexagon 12 metres in diameter which is comprised of many smaller mirrored hexagons. It will enable scientists to view stars and galaxies a billion times too faint to be visible to the naked eye.
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EA takes game to music: Electronic Arts, the world's biggest video-game publisher, said Thursday that it has formed a partnership with Nettwerk Music Group to launch a digital music distribution label called EA Recordings.
EA Recordings will deliver clips from EA's catalog of wholly-owned music and remixes to online download services, including Apple's iTunes, RealNetworks' Rhapsody and those operated by Yahoo and Microsoft's MSN internet service.
EA said the Nettwerk partnership complements its Next Level Music joint venture with Cherry Lane Music Publishing, which signs artists and licenses EA music for television, movies and commercials. The Nettwerk agreement will focus on direct-to-consumer online music sales.
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AP and Reuters contributed to this report.
