Today is the end of the line. If you haven’t made the switch or purchased a converter box, come Saturday morning you will likely see a temporary screen prompting you to make the switch, or simply see nothing at all. According to statistics, 2.8 million people nationwide fall under this category.

“We are in much better shape,” said Joel Kelsey, a policy analyst for Consumers Union.

Yes, the networks and studios are in a much better position to make the switch today than they were four months ago, however there are still way too many people without digital TVs. Many low income households simply can’t afford cable for $40 a month. Granted a perfectly smooth transition would never really be possible. There would’ve always been people that were unable to make the switch, or simply refuse to.

The digital age is here nonetheless, and it’s here to stay.

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Mac Mini
Why you ask? A Mac Mini will give all sorts of advantages in your home theater. One of the biggest is that you have internet access which lets you use Boxee. Not only that, you’ll also have access to Mac OS X’s Front Row, so with a little help from Handbrake and MacTheRipper you’ve got your entire DVD collection on your Mac. If they don’t fit, connect an external hard drive and you’re set. Also, Boxee will give you access to Netflix’s online streaming choices. Boxee also gives you access to Hulu, and if Hulu ever finds a way to block them again, you could always use Hulu Desktop. This is a must-have for any ultimate home theater. See how to launch Front Row on a secondary display.

The new Mac Mini will not only give you access to the iTunes store and all of its HD content, it will allow you to hook it up to an HDTV, and also allow you to install Windows (though I don’t know why you would). Another great thing about it is that in the event that none of the online services have the movie or TV show you want, you’re still able to use its DVD player.

iPhone/iPod Touch
This may seem like an unusual addition to your home theater, but if you’ve got your Mac Mini hooked up to your TV, the iPhone or iPod Touch is an amazing addition to your overall experience. After connecting everything to your home wireless network, not only will it allow you to control your music from anywhere in the house, you can also use iPhone Apps like Rowmote which will allow you to launch any application from your device.

Total cost before taxes is roughly $829. It’s a big price tag, but considering the money you’re saving from not having to pay cable, DVD rentals, DVD equipment, TV tuners, Tivo, you name it, it makes it very cost effective.

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The new model sports a Radio HD receiver, which beside giving listeners better sound quality on the go, they will also get metadata information of songs.

The screen size is a tad smaller, sporting a 272×480, compared to the iPod Touch’s 320×480. The Zune HD doesn’t allow you to watch HD videos on the Zune itself, that would be pointless. It’s got an HD video out which you can use by purchasing a premium HDMI cable to connect it to an HDTV at 720p.

It’s got Wi-Fi and a full screen internet browser (let’s hope it’s not IE for its sake), and it’s sporting a multi-touch capacitive screen.

If Microsoft ever wants to beat Apple at this game, they need to step up their game. The only thing I see here that is “better” than Apple’s solution is the fact that you can output HD video and listen to HD radio. Everything else the iPod Touch has been doing already and in some cases (screen resolution) doing it better. This is what they release, on the cusp of WWDC? You KNOW Apple’s got something cooking in their labs to counter a petty move like this. In fact, I can’t wait to see how bad Apple blows this product out of the water. Good luck Microsoft, you’re gonna need it.

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