Helping with the DTV Transition

In preparation for what to write in this week's upcoming blogs, I discovered the "Digital TV: Convert Now" contest on YouTube.  It is a contest being sponsored by Google and the Consumer Electronics Association where you could win a Panasonic 50-inch Plasma HDTV, Sony Blu-ray high-definition disc player, and Pioneer Surround Sound System.  I'm not sure about you, but any one of those items would greatly enhance my television viewing experience.

By now I'm sure you're wondering what you have to do to win these wonderful prizes.  First you need to make a video that is less than three minutes in length.  The video's theme will inform and educate the public on how to prepare friends and family for the DTV transition.  After you have made the video, you need to create a YouTube account (if you do not already have one) and submit the video between October 21, 2008 and November 23, 2008.  After that time, judges will chose 5 finalists and the YouTube public at large will get to vote on the video they like the best.  The winner will be chosen on December 10.  This is just a brief summary of the contest and if you would like to find out more click on official rules. 

I've chosen to include this information on my blog not only to inform people of this contest (which I intend to win), but also to show how the media industry is using convergence media to disseminate information about the DTV transition.  I think this is truly an ingenious way to get more people informed about the transition.  Not only are Google and CEA using the Internet to reach people about the DTV transition, they are recruiting people to spread the word to their families and friends by having them make a video about how they plan to tell them.  I've often learned that the best way to hear about something is through word of mouth so this seems like a very good way to teach people about the transition in a way they may understand rather than watching a 30 second ad on a local television station.  Also, I am contributing to the convergence aspect of this plan as well by writing about the contest and the DTV transition on a blog, which coincidentally is owned by Google.  This just proves that converged media has really taken over.  

I'm off to get some ideas for my video project and to start making room the for the 50-inch plasma HDTV.  If you have any ideas on how to help me win, feel free to comment and let me know!