Volvo Cars have a long and amazing history that spans over years and decades. Starting from 1927, to today, they have been manufacturing cars for over eighty years. And over the years, they have only improved.

Volvo Company, founded by Assar Gabrielson and Gustaf Larsson, produced its first car in a small factory at Hisingen, Gothenburg on the 4th of April in the year 1927. It was an open car with a four- cylinder engine and was called the Volvo OV4. They also produced the PV4 saloon. However, they were not successes and only 297 models were sold in that year. This was followed by two successful years with the PV651, the TR671 and the TR672 being released. Also, a more luxurious version of the PV651, called the PV652 was released. Volvo also bought the Hinsingen Factory where the cars were made.

In 1932, they passed a manufacturing landmark when they manufactured the 10,000th car. They made the first Volvo bus as well, which was called the LV70B. From 1933 to 1943, many new cars, buses and taxis were released. These were more modern and had many features that are seen in cars today. However after this, there was a difficult period for Volvo. The Second World War had broken out and this restricted the production of cars. But the year 1944 saw a significant change in the form of the Volvo PV444 and PV544. These dominated the Volvo car production till around the mid 1960\’s and even caught the interest of the American market. They also released the popular Volvo 120 which was also called the Amazon.

These cars were far safer and security was even then, a main concern. The first car produced the Volvo company was the P1800, which rose to fame with Roger Moore. By 1964, the Volvo Company was pretty much booming. They had set up a company in Sweden that was capable of producing 200,000 cars a year. In 1966, the Volvo 140 family came into the market and the company hoped to secure their position with them. There were both saloon and estate models of these released, hoping to catch different people in the market.

The Volvo Company was also evolving and many new features like crumple zones, rear facing child seats, collapsible steering columns, side collision protection, and three way catalytic converter. In the 1970\’s, Volvo sales soared with the release of the Volvo 240 and Volvo 340 series. In 1982, the Volvo 700 took the company into an exclusive market. The Volvo 400 replaced the 340 series and was extremely popular as it had more interior space and excellent road handling facilities.

In 1991 a new Volvo was released called the Volvo 850. It was the first front-wheel executive car and had a five-cylinder engine. It was a pleasure to drive and won great praise. They had proposed a merger with Renault but that did not come through. However, this turned out to be a boon for Volvo. This allowed the Volvo Company to develop the sleeker and smoother S40 and V40, which were instant hits. They merged safety, style and comfort and all of the other traditional values of the Volvo Company. With the 1998 Volvo S80 sedan the 1999 V70 wagon, they brought new meaning for the phrase \’traveling in style\’. In 2000, the Volvo S60 came out and in 2002, the Volvo XC90 was released. In 2003, the Volvo S40 and V50 were produced and in 2005, the C70 was released. The year 2006 saw the release of the Volvo C30.

By: N Baulch

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Most automobiles in use today are propelled by gasoline (also known as petrol) or diesel internal combustion engines, which are known to cause air pollution and are also blamed for contributing to climate change and global warming.[14] Increasing costs of oil-based fuels, tightening environmental laws and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are propelling work on alternative power systems for automobiles. Efforts to improve or replace existing technologies include the development of hybrid vehicles, and electric and hydrogen vehicles which do not release pollution into the air.

Petroleum fuels Main article: Petroleum fuel engine Diesel Main article: Diesel engine free articles directory

Diesel-engined cars have long been popular in Europe with the first models being introduced as early as 1922 [15] by Peugeot and the first production car, Mercedes-Benz 260 D in 1936 by Mercedes-Benz.

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The main benefit of diesel engines is a 50% fuel burn efficiency compared with 27%[16] in the best gasoline engines. A down-side of the Diesel engine is that better filters are required to reduce the presence in the exhaust gases of fine soot particulates called diesel particulate matter. Manufacturers are now starting to fit[when?] diesel particulate filters to remove the soot. Many diesel-powered cars can run with little or no modifications on 100% biodiesel and combinations of other organic oils.

Gasoline

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Main article: Petrol engine

2007 Mark II (BMW) Mini Cooper

Gasoline engines have the advantage over diesel in being lighter and able to work at higher rotational speeds and they are the usual choice for fitting in high-performance sports cars. Continuous development of gasoline engines for over a hundred years has produced improvements in efficiency and reduced pollution. The carburetor was used on nearly all road car engines until the 1980s but it was long realised better control of the fuel/air mixture could be achieved with fuel injection. Indirect fuel injection was first used in aircraft engines from 1909, in racing car engines from the 1930s, and road cars from the late 1950s.[16] Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) is now starting to appear in production vehicles such as the 2007 (Mark II) BMW Mini. Exhaust gases are also cleaned up by fitting a catalytic converter into the exhaust system. Clean air legislation in many of the car industries most important markets has made both catalysts and fuel injection virtually universal fittings. Most modern gasoline engines also are capable of running with up to 15% ethanol mixed into the gasoline – older vehicles may have seals and hoses that can be harmed by ethanol. With a small amount of redesign, gasoline-powered vehicles can run on ethanol concentrations as high as 85%. 100% ethanol is used in some parts of the world (such as Brazil), but vehicles must be started on pure gasoline and switched over to ethanol once the engine is running. Most gasoline engined cars can also run on LPG with the addition of an LPG tank for fuel storage and carburettor modifications to add an LPG mixer. LPG produces fewer toxic emissions and is a popular fuel for fork-lift trucks that have to operate inside buildings.

The hydrogen powered FCHV (Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle) was developed by Toyota in 2005 Biofuels Main articles: Biofuel, Ethanol fuel, and biogasoline

Ethanol, other alcohol fuels (biobutanol) and biogasoline have widespread use an automotive fuel. Most alcohols have less energy per liter than gasoline and are usually blended with gasoline. Alcohols are used for a variety of reasons – to increase octane, to improve emissions, and as an alternative to petroleum based fuel, since they can be made from agricultural crops. Brazil’s ethanol program provides about 20% of the nation’s automotive fuel needs, as a result of the mandatory use of E25 blend of gasoline throughout the country, 3 million cars that operate on pure ethanol, and 6 million dual or flexible-fuel vehicles sold since 2003.[17] that run on any mix of ethanol and gasoline. The commercial success of “flex” vehicles, as they are popularly known, have allowed sugarcane based ethanol fuel to achieve a 50% market share of the gasoline market by April 2008.[18][19][20]

Electric Main articles: Electric car, Hybrid vehicle, and Plug-in hybrid

The Henney Kilowatt, the first modern (transistor-controlled) electric car.

2007 Tesla electric powered Roadster

Tata/MDI OneCAT Air Car

A CNG powered high-floor Neoplan AN440A, run on Compressed Natural Gas

The first electric cars were built around 1832, well before internal combustion powered cars appeared.[21] For a period of time electrics were considered superior due to the silent nature of electric motors compared to the very loud noise of the gasoline engine. This advantage was removed with Hiram Percy Maxim’s invention of the muffler in 1897. Thereafter internal combustion powered cars had two critical advantages: 1) long range and 2) high specific energy (far lower weight of petrol fuel versus weight of batteries). The building of battery electric vehicles that could rival internal combustion models had to wait for the introduction of modern semiconductor controls and improved batteries. Because they can deliver a high torque at low revolutions electric cars do not require such a complex drive train and transmission as internal combustion powered cars. Some post-2000 electric car designs



By: gunty

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Did your heart ever palpitate for fast driving? Did you ever imagine your hands controlling an extremely speedy car? I f so, then you should definitely have the gravity and real charm of mini RC cars.

Mini RC cars have climbed up to the top position in the chartbusters of favorite pastimes or hobbies. These extremely speedy and exciting mini RC cars offer a complete time period of fun, frolic and excitement, during small and restricted arenas of racing. Since the mini RC cars are quite small in size as argued by their title, the mini RC cars can be easily designed and masterminded in your rooms or garages. However, one should not get fooled down by seeing the outer appearance of a minute sized mini RC car- alternatively the impact of the size has no impacts over the unbelievable range of it is speed, which at times touches over 20 mph.

Small balance cars or fairly the so termed mini RC cars are however not very new to that world. In the the first part of 90′s, Kyosko introduced the BAJA bugs and Tamiya the Tamtech cars. Unfortunately enough, provided the advancement of technology, these cars lost popularity and market value in the market.

However today, the scenario has drastically changed. Due to lack of adequate space and the heavy expenses of racing, these kinds of mini RC cars provide a suitable alternative. Mini RC cars can in reality quench the thirst and excitement of a car race lover. Four to six of these mini RC cars can race among themselves within small arenas of a garage or a pitiful street.

Today KYOSHO MINI-2 and HPI MICRO RS 4 RT4 experience gained immense popularity in the wide market of mini RC Cars. Besides these types of mini RC cars, the market of mini RC cars additionally comprises of SUPER MICRO MINI RC cars.

All these types of several types of mini RC cars, turn mini RC cars to a more exciting, interesting, nail-biting and variable item



By: virgilio vallecera

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Cars for Sale:

Are you looking for a “cars for sale” auction to buy a car/cars? At best car deals website you will get instant access to thousands of new and used repossessed homes, cars, trucks and SUV’s on sale that have been seized by the government, police, IRS customs, DEA, banks and lending institutions etc, all car makes and models, new and used cars for sale from up to 95% off, used cars with low miles and clean records. This is a closely guarded resource only used by car dealerships and realtor to buy and sell cars and homes due to the extreme discounted prices and amazing deals not possible in any other way. Click here to see Best Car Deals site.

Repossessed Cars:

Every day thousands of Americans default on their car payments, or fail to abide by certain law which in turn, causes the law enforcement agencies to seize their cars and other property indefinitely. Some of these cars are repossessed from criminals and individuals or institutions with large amounts of bank loans and debts which they are unable or refuse to pay and also in cases of tax evasion. For this reason vehicles repossessed in these kinds of situation are quickly repossessed and auctioned on non – profit basis for the banks and lending institutions to cover loses and to minimize cost of storage and maintenance. This is therefore a perfect source for you to buy your dream car used / new. The general public does not know about kind of cars for sale and homes auctions! After being a member of the site there is no reason to buy from a dealership or realtor ever again!

New and Used Repossessed Cars for Sale:

Repossessed cars for sale auctions are now becoming more and more popular. This is the perfect way for any individual be it a car dealer or even students to buy cars due to affordability. Once you become a member of auction seized cars website you will get an excellent service to help you save time and money with a detailed database site and much more about government and state auctions sites and their contact phone numbers. This is the most updated database on government and state auctions with online support and live service to assist you and help you find exactly what you are looking for and make your shopping experience a pleasurable one.

Buy New & Used Cars:

Once you become a member you will get instant access to thousands of repossessed cars for sale both new and used cars to choose from including luxury homes. You will get an opportunity to shop at local and online auctions allover the U.S (every U.S state). The site has implemented an awesome system for its members to utilize and now you can become that lucky buyer and drive away with the car or home of your dreams! The repossessed cars are kept in a warehouse; the homes repossessed, and then auctioned off in a hurry. These auctions sometimes have a few people attending; therefore these repossessed cars are sold for bargain prices.

Some of the cars on sale are: Acura, Infiniti, Nissan, Audi, Isuzu, Oldsmobile, BMW, Jaguar, Plymouth, Buick, Jeep, Pontiac, Cadillac, Kia, Porsche, Chevrolet, Land Rover, Saab, Chrysler, Lexus, Saturn, Dodge, Lincoln, Subaru, Ford, Mazda, Suzuki, GMC, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Honda, Mercury, Volkswagen, HUMMER, MINI, Volvo, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Ferrari

You will be able to browse through all this models and more then bid and buy these cars at unheard – of low prices of up to 90% off. You also get full access to easy online bidding, seized car listings, dealer car auctions, bank repo vehicles, police repo vehicles, other government auctions, browse online listings or buy offline, From basic to luxury cars for sale and homes and save thousands of dollars.

In the past, only car dealers and realtors with special licenses could access these auctions, only now cause of the internet, things have changed because big business has saturated the market in turn making it impossible for many of these repossessed cars and homes auction centers to get the word out. These auction centers and online Auctions need you to attend and buy because of the enormous expense to store these thousands of vehicles and homes. This is the absolute best way of attaining the car or home of your dreams for a fraction of what it would cost you otherwise.

Advantage of repossessed new and used cars auction:

Repossessed cars for sale auctions offer multiple benefits among buyers simply because they are being offered at a low starting price and this makes it possible for you to save big money, buyers can expect a whole wide range of choices for vehicles and the quality of the vehicles is not compromised by the prices. It is possible for you to find the car you have always wanted available at a price you can easily afford.

Besides a low starting price repossessed cars on sale auctions offer quality cars in a lot of ways, most of the cars are in top condition and will look quite new with the warrant still on. There are no pieces of junk in fact, you will be amazed at how unbelievably good and well maintained these cars are being sold at a price that even teenagers can afford.

If you buy repossessed cars, don’t think that these cars are always in bad shape. You will be surprised to know that some of these repossessed cars are in brand new condition. You can get a background check on the vehicle you wish to buy; you should also be able to do a little research on its history and records. Repossessed cars for sale auctions usually give information regarding the repossessed cars for free, including history reports on the car that you wish to buy. Buy new & used cars click here to view and join cars for sale and Repossessed cars on sale at auction seized cars on sale site.



By: Used for sale

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The large-scale, production-line manufacturing of affordable automobiles was debuted by Ransom Olds at his Oldsmobile factory in 1902. This concept was greatly expanded by Henry Ford, beginning in 1914.

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As a result, Ford’s cars came off the line in fifteen minute intervals, much faster than previous methods, increasing productivity eight fold (requiring 12.5 man-hours before, 1 hour 33 minutes after), while using less manpower.[13] It was so successful, paint became a bottleneck. Only Japan black would dry fast enough, forcing the company to drop the variety of colors available before 1914, until fast-drying Duco lacquer was developed in 1926. This is the source of Ford’s apocryphal remark, “any color as long as it’s black”.[13] In 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months’ pay.[13]

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Portrait of Henry Ford (ca. 1919)

Ford’s complex safety procedures—especially assigning each worker to a specific location instead of allowing them to roam about—dramatically reduced the rate of injury. The combination of high wages and high efficiency is called “Fordism,” and was copied by most major industries.

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The efficiency gains from the assembly line also coincided with the economic rise of the United States. The assembly line forced workers to work at a certain pace with very repetitive motions which led to more output per worker while other countries were using less productive methods.

In the automotive industry, its success was dominating, and quickly spread worldwide seeing the founding of Ford France and Ford Britain in 1911, Ford Denmark 1923, Ford Germany 1925; in 1921, Citroen was the first native European manufacturer to adopt the production method. Soon, companies had to have assembly lines, or risk going broke; by 1930, 250 companies which did not, had disappeared.[13]

Development of automotive technology was rapid, due in part to the hundreds of small manufacturers competing to gain the world’s attention. Key developments included electric ignition and the electric self-starter (both by Charles Kettering, for the Cadillac Motor Company in 1910-1911), independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes.

Ford Model T, 1927, regarded as the first affordable American automobile

Since the 1920s, nearly all cars have been mass-produced to meet market needs, so marketing plans often have heavily influenced automobile design. It was Alfred P. Sloan who established the idea of different makes of cars produced by one company, so buyers could “move up” as their fortunes improved.

Reflecting the rapid pace of change, makes shared parts with one another so larger production volume resulted in lower costs for each price range. For example, in the 1930s, LaSalles, sold by Cadillac, used cheaper mechanical parts made by Oldsmobile; in the 1950s, Chevrolet shared hood, doors, roof, and windows with Pontiac; by the 1990s, corporate drivetrains and shared platforms (with interchangeable brakes, suspension, and other parts) were common. Even so, only major makers could afford high costs, and even companies with decades of production, such as Apperson, Cole, Dorris, Haynes, or Premier, could not manage: of some two hundred American car makers in existence in 1920, only 43 survived in 1930, and with the Great Depression, by 1940, only 17 of those were left.[13]

In Europe much the same would happen. Morris set up its production line at Cowley in 1924, and soon outsold Ford, while beginning in 1923 to follow Ford’s practise of vertical integration, buying Hotchkiss (engines), Wrigley (gearboxes), and Osberton (radiators), for instance, as well as competitors, such as Wolseley: in 1925, Morris had 41% of total British car production. Most British small-car assemblers, from Abbey to Xtra had gone under. Citroen did the same in France, coming to cars in 1919; between them and other cheap cars in reply such as Renault’s 10CV and Peugeot’s 5CV, they produced 550,000 cars in 1925, and Mors, Hurtu, and others could not compete.[13] Germany’s first mass-manufactured car, the Opel 4PS Laubfrosch (Tree Frog), came off the line at Russelsheim in 1924, soon making Opel the top car builder in Germany, with 37.5% of the market.[13]

See also: Automotive industry

By: gunty

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How can I watch satellite TV on my computer? You are not alone if you find yourself asking this question. In fact, there are many people who are searching for an answer to this question. A quick check at Yahoo Overture would have revealed that hundreds are asking the same question “How can I watch satellite TV on my computer”. We will take a look at 3 of the most commonly used methods to watch satellite TV on computer. You will also understand which suits you best.

Satellite TV Websites – First Answer to “How can I watch satellite TV on computer”

This is your first answer – watching satellite TV on computer through online satellite TV websites. There are a number of online TV sites that are streaming satellite TV channels for free. BeeLine.com is one of them. While you get to watch probably hundreds of programs for free, not all are fantastic. Some programs are in foreign languages so it would help if you understand a little bit of these languages. Streaming speed can be slow occasionally when the server is loaded so you have to exercise a little patience.

PC To TV Cards – Second Answer to “How can I watch satellite TV on computer”

This is your second method. People have been using PCTV cards to watch satellite TV on their computers. This used to be hot favorites when they first appeared. Such cards come in both internal and external hardware format. The external card works as a plug-and-play device. Internal PCTV cards are a bit more challenging as you need to install it within your computer. As you would have expected, external cards are more popular. However, due to the relatively higher prices of such cards, some would rather go through the trouble of purchasing and installing the internal cards. These cards can allow you to watch satellite TV on computer and access hundreds of programs online.

PC Satellite TV Software – Third Answer to “How can I watch satellite TV on computer”

Using PC satellite TV software to watch satellite TV on computer is quite new in today’s climate. This software application is available on internet stores and can be downloaded. Payment is online and the whole process is quite swift. Once it is downloaded, all you need to do is to install it onto your computer. Program search is also rather simple and straightforward. This software allows you to get instant access to more than 2000 TV channels. The programs range from LIVE sports, news, movies, radio to music videos and so on. Each software ranges from $40 to $60 and is affordable for most people.

It is not difficult to guess which method to watch satellite TV on computer is more popular nowadays. Latest survey estimates put the number of PC satellite TV software users at more than a million. Though people still watch satellite TV on computer for free through online websites, the setback of doing so is the limited choice of good channels as well as the picture quality.

Anyone who is interested to learn more or to download the software needed to watch satellite TV on computer can always sign up for my free satellite TV guide.

By: Davion Wong

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Create a video blog

Did you ever wonder why they’re called TV dinners? The truth is, it doesn’t have anything to do with your television set. It was just a phrase that was coined by a guy by the name of Swanson who is basically given credit for inventing this idea. Another truth is, the science of heating and freezing food was discovered long before Swanson. But that’s another story.

In a nutshell, the reason TV dinners were made was because food had a bad tendency to spoil quickly if it wasn’t cooked and eaten right away. We didn’t have all the preservatives that we do today in order to slow this process down. So by freezing the food after cooking, it slowed down the spoiling process. Today, this is a pretty common food that we can find in the frozen section in our supermarkets.

And while the Swanson TV dinners are still there, over 50 years later, there are other brands that have come into the market and give Swanson quite a run for their money in terms of price and quality, not that TV dinners are anything you’d want to serve at a fancy banquet. In comparison to most other foods, TV dinners taste rather bland. That’s why many of the manufacturers have to load them up with sodium in order to give them some flavor. Just take a look at the label of ingredients to see what’s up with these nutritional nightmares.

In fairness, there have been some TV dinners that have come out over the past few years that are a cut above the norm. These are mostly dinners made for people who are health conscious. One of the best and most popular of these is Healthy Choice. The ingredients on these dinners are actually not too bad. They still don’t taste much better than the other commercial dinners and in some ways taste even worse, but they are certainly much better for you.

There is certainly a large variety of the types of dinners you can get. Unlike the early days where you were pretty much limited to fried chicken, roast beef and turkey, today there are dinners for practically every type of meal from pasta to Chinese.

I guess the question you have to ask is, “Why do we eat these things if they’re so bad tasting and so bad for you?” Well, the answer to that is pretty simple. In today’s fast paced society, especially with both the husband and wife working, people don’t have the time to prepare a normal dinner, at least not always. TV dinners, especially with the invention of the microwave, allow a family to have a quick meal without all the fuss. How quick? Some of these dinners can be made in as little as 7 to 10 minutes. The ones that are more involved, like the “Hungry Man Dinners” take a little longer. And of course all this depends upon the power of your microwave. Instructions are on the box so it’s pretty hard to mess these up.

Good or bad, TV dinners are pretty much here to stay.

By: Michael Russell

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How do you connect pc to TV? What are the tools that you need or is there any software necessary to accomplish this?

To have a connection between your pc and TV you would need a cable which would serve as a converter. The cable is a cord which connects to the pc and outputs the image coming from the monitor to the television which the other cable end is connected. This would allow you to watch internet TV or DVD in your pc DVD drive but the viewing would be seen on the TV. It’s like making your TV a huge monitor for your pc where you can actually surf the Net, view pictures and many more. If you enjoy home entertainment, or love to watch movies at home, this is the initial move to making a Home Theatre PC.

There are various kinds of PC to TV cables, each function in somewhat dissimilar ways. One of the known differences between cables is the way it is connected to the pc. This can be done on the outputs of the computers video card wherein the monitor is connected. Another cause of differences between cables is the way it is connected to the television; they have types of input connections. The third reason is because some cables serves as converters. A regular PC/TV cable simply directs what’s on the pc to the television. But if you have a modernized TV with several enhancement options and your pc is well upgraded, then you might be able to manipulate on how to make the images appear better on the TV screen. If the cable is a converter then the images will automatically be adjusted, meaning you don’t need to change any settings on your pc or tv. You simply need to plug the cable and watch the videos. These types of cables usually necessitate a power source like USB port from your pc.

What must you do to connect pc to TV? What you need to do is connect the USB cord of the PC to TV cable into its matching port on your computer. Next is to link the VGA Y-cord’s blue connector marked as “PC” to the monitor or VGA port that can be found at the back of your computer. You could either link the composite video which is indicated through a yellow RCA jack or an S-Video which is a pure black 4-pin connection output to an S-Video cable or composite video cable. Not to worry if you lack a video cable as this is easily available at any hardware or electronics store. You must link the VGA monitor cord with the VGA Y-cord’s blue connector marked as “monitor”. If you are using a laptop then the end connector which is marked as “monitor” cannot be used. You must connect the video cable end with the video input of the TV or projector or any other equipment that you will utilize. You can toggle the input display to match with the input video that you’re going to use. With the toggle option you can control the input to display whatever you prefer the tv to display. Each TV differs from the other so you could refer the TV user guide for further instructions. Finally you could turn on the pc and let it boot up for you to see the result.

By: John Sugarman

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The digital TV switchover is when all the television in the UK switches over to a digital signal. This process is being done gradually, and has already started since 2008. By 2010 all broadcast signals will be digital, which means you must have a television capable of receiving a digital signal in order to watch television, or alternatively, have a set-top box which is capable of receiving a digital signal.

The digital TV switchover has been gradually taking place, region by region, and although a lot of people were initially confused by this, there has been various nationwide advertisements advising on what one needs to do for this switchover. If the switchover is taking place in your area, chances are you will not be able to miss it, even if you tried. So why is the digital switchover taking place?

Well, digital is now considered the best technology for broadcasting TV for various reasons. One of the main reasons as you may be aware of is the fact that digital provides a lot more clearer information than analogue. Digital signals also allow for more channels, and for this reason, people have become accustomed to the digital switchover – because it allows them to have extra channels free of charge!

The days of having only five TV channels through an aerial will be obsolete as of 2012 when the digital switchover is complete. This is good news for people who would like to have more than just the terrestrial channels but do not really want a monthly subscription bill by getting satellite TV or cable. You will be able to do more with your TV because of the digital switchover, and ever listen to radio via the TV. It will be just like having a satellite or cable subscription, with limited channels, of course!

Most new television sets that are sold are in-built to receive a digital TV signal, and for this reason, most households tend to upgrade to a new television. However, if you prefer to keep your existing television set, you can purchase a freeview set-top box, which were the first devices manufactured to receive digital signals, until television manufactures begun building televisions capable of receiving digital signals. Alternatively to freeview set-top boxes, you can get yourself a DVD recorder with an in-built digital TV receiver.

The digital TV switchover has become very popular with households because of the extra channels the new digital age offers for free. Although the switchover was once considered a complex, technical process to understand, most households understand it is a rather simple process.

By: Justin J. Pierce

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Appearing on the local and national TV news broadcasts and magazine shows is a great way to get free publicity.

One way to greatly improve your chances of getting on these news and magazine shows is to provide some or all of the video footage they will need. You can do this with either a video news release (VNR) or B-roll. Or both.

A VNR contains the same information as a press release but is done as though it is an actual TV news story, complete with a voice over (narration).

Depending on your story pitch, the VNR might have interviews and supplementary images. For example, if you were promoting a hotel, the VNR might contain some shots of the rooms, the exterior of the restaurant, interviews with the manager and the chef, etc.

A B-roll is a series of random shots that support a news story. If you’re a hospital administrator, your publicity team might shoot the exterior of the building, the new research lab, patient rooms, etc.

TV news shows love to receive VNRs and B-rolls because they save them time and money. They don’t have to send a reporter and crew out on location.

The journalists or news magazine hosts might use some or all of the footage in a story, though a reporter might substitute his own voice on the VNR. That shouldn’t matter to you because your main purpose is to get free publicity, not promote yourself as a voice over talent.

It can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to as much as $20,000 or more, depending on the topic, to produce a VNR. In most cases, you can have a B-roll created for a few hundred dollars.

Contact local TV production companies to learn more. Some PR firms also do VNRs and B-rolls, though they often contract this work out and add their fee to the bill. The advantage of using a PR firm that has this type of experience is that they are more likely to know how to appeal to journalists to get free publicity than production companies that don’t do a lot of this type of work.

By: Danek S. Kaus

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