The sun is out, the birds are chirping and life is good at the [ b ] pad in beautiful Mission Viejo, California.

No, I did not just win the lottery, but I may as well have.

The kinds folks at DirecTv have just finished installing my brand new HD satellite dish, as well as upgrading my DVR's to accommodate all the new HD channels that DirecTv has recently launched and will be launching in the near future.

And the best part is, is was absolutely free!!

I can't tell you how impressed I am that they just called me up to let me know that "there's some new free stuff... thanks for being a loyal customer, enjoy your new HD programming". I didn't have to sign a long term contract (even though I would have in a heartbeat... there's no way I'd ever switch back to cable).

The only bummer is the DVR service is no longer through Tivo, but it works essentially the same.

New channels include: FSN HD (for the Angel games in beautiful High-Def), Fx, Bravo, CNN, Cinemax, A bunch of other HBO and Showtime feeds, USA, TBS, and many more.

I know it's a little odd to be excited over something so trivial, but once you watch shows in HD, you just can't go back to SD. Plus I live alone and my TV is my friend! ;)

Long live DirecTv!