Santa's getting a technology upgrade this year.

The NORAD Tracks Santa 2007 Web site will let you keep tabs on the travels of jolly old Saint Nick on Christmas Eve using the amazing Google Earth mapping software. (If you don't already have it, make sure you download and install Google Earth before Christmas Eve; it's free.)

Until Santa begins his global journey, young netizens can check out another new feature of NORAD Santa: A virtual village at the North Pole, chock full of clever games and puzzles to play while waiting for the big day.

NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a joint U.S.-Canadian operation based in Colorado) has been tracking Santa since 1955.

Closer to home, DFW International Airport has also updated its online SantaTracker with some new games and puzzles this year.

Digital television is here

You soon won't be able to turn around without hearing about "digital television" and its potential impact on you.

Even though there is still a limited (but growing) universe of true high definition programming available over the air, Channel 8 (and every other TV station in North Texas) is already sending out a digital signal right alongside its traditional "analog" transmission.

But all those analog signals will be switched off—permanently—on Feb. 17, 2009 by government mandate. That means if you're watching Channel 8 on an older TV set and you get your picture with an off-air antenna, you'll see nothing but snow starting on that date.

You should know, however, that old TVs can be used for years into the future with the help of a little box to convert the new digital channels into an analog-friendly signal.

While these converter boxes are expected to cost about $60 each, every family in the U.S. is entitled to receive up to two coupons with a value of $40 each that can be used to buy the adapters. You can sign up for the coupons starting Jan. 1, 2008. In our next edition of Computer Corner, we'll provide you with the details.

Check out the WFAA.com DTV 2009 Countdown section for answers to questions about TV's digital transition, or you can write to me at the e-mail address at the end of this newsletter.

The movie business is slowly bending and changing with technology.

You've probably noticed the occasional "direct to DVD" releases that bypass the silver screen and show up instead at the rental counter.

Now Blockbuster is making a detour around even its own most familiar venue to bring a new movie direct to your computer screen—for free.

Starting Wednesday (Dec. 19), and until Christmas Day, you can watch jackass 2.5 on your PC, before this latest installment in the stunt movie series is available on DVD.

This is not a film for the squeamish, the easily offended, or for anyone under 17. But it does help pave the way for a distribution method that is destined to become a major alternative to DVDs as more people get comfortable with the technology.

The jackass movies appeal to a younger, YouTube audience that is more likely to embrace this type of presentation.

Setting aside the quality of the content (I'll leave the movie reviews to my Channel 8 colleague Gary Cogill), I found the quality of the streaming playback using Microsoft's relatively new Silverlight technology to be a mixed bag.

While the widescreen image is sharp (in either a windowed mode or displayed full screen), the audio wasn't always synchronized correctly with the picture, and the playback was not always smooth.

Limitations of my 2006 vintage Dell notebook computer may have something to do with it; it's also possible that my home Internet connection may not be the optimum conduit for this streaming content.

There is no option to download jackass 2.5 for later playback; you can view it only while online and connected, and only during a one-week timeframe.

It's quite likely we'll be seeing more such releases in the months ahead. This is an excellent and relatively inexpensive way to build awareness and a viral "buzz" for low-budget productions.

Watch Computer Corner every week on News 8 Midday at noon (usually seen on Wednesdays), or online any time.

E-mail askwalt@wfaa.com