Intel acquires TI's cable modem unit, might be sneaking into your AV rack

Intel's been trying to break into the home entertainment market for years, and while it's made some inroads, it's also looking at a notable list of ho hum attempts that never managed to gain traction. Take the CE3100 processor, for instance -- a couple of years ago, the outfit seemed certain that this here chip would be powering every last living room box for the rest of eternity, and nowadays it's hardly a household name. But this week, Intel has picked up Texas Instruments' cable modem unit, which gives it a direct link into the very area it's been trying to exploit. The goal of the acquisition -- which is scheduled to close in the fourth quarter of this year -- is to combine TI's Puma product lines with DOCSIS and Intel SoCs. Once that magical marriage takes place, Chipzilla intends to push out complex set-top boxes, residential gateways and modem products, possibly even going for the OEM artery. Details beyond that are few and far betwixt, but we doubt it'll be too long before the pickup begins to bear fruit.

Buy Your Cable Modem to Save Cash and Other Common Digital Fees to Avoid

Money site LiveCheap offers five suggestions for identifying and cutting down on your monthly digital bill without changing your service, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars. One way? Buy rather than rent your cable modem.

Photo by Rae Whitlock.

By tackling common and hidden fees, the folks at LiveCheap were able to save $500 from their yearly bill. They tackled some issues like eliminating the "free" VoIP line that comes bundled with your cable and removing unnecessary services from your cell phone plan. Our favorite cost-cutting measure included buying your cable modem box:

Even if you've already negotiated the best possible cable deal with your provider, there's one charge that you probably missed: the cable box fee or the cable modem fee. If your cable service is provided by Charter Communications, CableVision or another big operator, they'll charge you a whopping $5 to $6.95 a month for each of these boxes. $10 - $12 a month for both of these works out to over $120 a year. If you're stuck to cable, you can purchase a digital cable box in good condition online for about $30 and the cable modem will cost you another $25. It will take all of 6 months to recoup the cost.

Annual fee savings? $130. For a few other suggestions for how you can cut down on your digital bill, hit the link below.

5 Overlooked Digital Charges to Eliminate and Save $500 [LiveCheap via The Consumerist]