Q I keep getting junk e-mail from a company called DKJ Enterprises. I have responded by clicking their "remove from list" link in the e-mail, but a month later I'm still getting their offers. They come from different e-mail addresses every time, so reporting them as spam doesn't help. Did I do the right thing in asking to be removed from their list, or did I open myself up to more unwanted solicitations? What should I do?

BILL PUDWELL, Rochester

A Asking a spammer to take you off a mailing list has the opposite effect you'd get from a legitimate business -- it simply confirms that the spammer has reached a working e-mail address and someone who just might respond.

The biggest problem with spam is that it seldom comes from the same address twice, so it's difficult to block. But spam filters can help by stopping suspicious e-mail or spam reported by others. If you're not using Charter's e-mail filter, try someone else's; you can find top-rated antispam programs at www.spam-filter-review.toptenreviews.com. Or you could get a free e-mail address through a company that filters spam for you, such as Google or Yahoo (the filters aren't perfect, but they're better than nothing).

Q The Apple website says the first-generation iPod Touch can output component video to TV at 480i or 576i resolutions. Will the iPod work with my six-year-old Sony TV's composite video input?

DARRELL LINDEMANN, LAKEVILLE

A Your analog TV should be able to accept the 480i signal from your iPod Touch.

But you will need to buy some equipment: a cradle that the iPod Touch plugs into, and some cables that connect the cradle to your TV's composite video input. For details, see support.apple.com/kb/HT1454.

What is 480i? The highest resolution (sharpest) image that most analog TVs are capable of producing, consisting of 480 illuminated lines. The image is re-created every 30th of a second in two waves of scanning that each refresh every other line (called "interlacing," or the "i" in 480i). HDTV sets produce images that have more lines, and thus higher resolutions.

Alvin Plumhoff of Burnsville e-mailed me earlier this month asking why his Comcast cable TV service didn't deliver stereo sound on local TV channels 5 and 9. He said Comcast's telephone cable TV support hadn't been helpful.

But, when I asked Comcast workers about the problem, they investigated, found their network was at fault and made adjustments at the point where video signals originate. That solved Plumhoff's problem.

E-mail your technology questions to tech@ startribune.com or write Tech Q&A, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488-0002. Include full name, city and telephone number.