[1] Broadband-Enabled TVs: There are more than 50 broadband-enabled TV models due out in 2009, but analysts estimate that only about 3 million total sets will be sold in the next 2 years combined.

I’m all for “broadband-enabled TV” however only somebody with money to burn or an ignorant fool would throw away their money purchasing the type of broadband-enabled HDTV the HDTV manufacturer’s are trying to sell to ignorant consumers.

The HDTV manufacturer’s continue to intentionally cripple their products to disallow people from using their own private property they have spent many hundreds of dollars and in some cases many thousands of dollars from being freely able to send or receive from the World Wide Web (WWW).

Even referring to these HDTVs as “broadband-enabled” is marketing bullshit because the products are intentionally crippled so they may only be used to receive what the *sshole manufacturers allow to be viewed from the WWW.

Let’s understand something, June 12th the date requiring the licensed over-the-air TV broadcasters to begin digital broadcasting must be explained to many people.

DIGITAL BROADCASTING = WORLD WIDE WEB USING INTERNET PROTOCOLS

That’s right. Both of these terms are synonyms and fundamentally mean the same thing. The over-the-air TV broadcasters are trying to take over the WWW so they can continue to control what can and what cannot be displayed on our own private property: our HDTV sets.

So the TV manufacturers are stuck between a rock and hard place crippling their product to serve the over-the-air hegemony while hoping the consumers will stay dumbed down and will continue to waste their money purchasing new HDTV sets that cannot be used to “change the channel” to freely send or receive from the WWW because the over-the-air broadcasters do not want anybody to be able to do so.

When all is said and done the HDTV manufacturers will choose who to serve depending on who pays them the most money: the over-the-air broadcasters who are clearly paying back room bribes renamed using the word “lobbying” to keep the TV crippled as long as possible –or-- the HDTV manufacturers will begin serving the interests of the hundreds of millions of people who actually spend their money buying the HDTV products.

So its up to you Mr. and Mrs. America. Is it in your best interest to continue to purchase their crippled HDTV if you want the over-the-air broadcasters to take over and control the WWW to control what can and what cannot be displayed on your own TV without you having a choice? Are you happy you are being told what you can and cannot watch on your own TV because it is now possible to use any HDTV that has not been crippled to send or receive anything we want to and from the WWW?

On the other hand, if you have any sense at all I do not think you will choose to spend your money on crippled HDTV until the HDTV manufacturers stop crippling their products and enable each of us to use the HDTV as a type of digital device just like any other digital device like our desktop computers or mobile phones for example which can freely send and receive using the WWW.