Airborne Combat Engineer

Superior HDTV via roof antenna

Local TV channels, broadcast in HD over-the-air, offer superior picture quality over the often-compressed signals sent by cable and satellite TV companies.

And the best part? Over-the-air HD is free.

"Eighty-year-old technology is being redesigned and rejiggered to deliver the best picture quality," said Richard Schneider, president of Antennas Direct. "It's an interesting irony.

TV-B-gone: A really useful invention

1220Z WED 20OCT04. AP.

Inventor Mitch Altman holds up his new keychain gadget 'TV-B-Gone' in San Francisco next to a television showing 'Oprah' Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2004. The new keychain gadget, which lets people turn off most TVs anywhere, is selling for $14.99. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)