Indiantelevision.com's Digital Edge: 30 per cent of US homes own HDTV

Indiantelevision.com's Digital Edge

30 per cent of US homes own HDTV

Indiantelevision.com Team

(28 June 2007 7:00 pm)

MUMBAI: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) in the US predicts 16 million high-definition televisions (HDTV) will sell in 2007 bringing the total number of HDTVs sold in the US to 52.5 million.

30 per cent of US households now have an HDTV, likely rising to 36 per cent by the end of this year. Among these HDTV households, almost a third own more than one high-definition set, proving the booming nature of this market.

A new CEA study, HDTV: You Have the Set, But Do You Have the Content?, found that 44 per cent of HDTV owners receive HD programming. The main reasons consumers stated for not receiving the programming was that it was too expensive or they were not interested. Yet, while there is some confusion among HD owners as to whether they are receiving HD programming, the vast majority of owners understand what programming they receive and do not receive. CEA maintains a website, www.AntennaWeb.org, that provides consumers information for receiving free, over-the-air HD programming.

The study revealed that one of the primary reasons consumers are buying HDTVs is not to watch television programming but rather to improve their movie and gaming experience. Currently, the most prevalent device connected to an HDTV not receiving HD programming is a DVD player. Nearly 40 percent of these consumer households also connect surround sound and video game systems to their HDTV.

CEA director of research Joe Bates says, "Consumers are satisfied overall with HDTV. But our studies indicate continued education is necessary to ensure consumers truly understand how to receive the full HD experience."

66 per cent of owners who receive HD programming get their programming through a cable company. Of the remaining households receiving HD programming, 27 percent are satellite, 8 percent are over-the-air, 3 percent fiber optic service and 3 percent from the Internet. This profile mirrors the U.S. television reception profile, indicating that HD content is not resulting in a migration to or from any one television-programming provider.

Bates adds, "As we have seen for years, consumers still demand more HD content. Currently, more than 50 per cent of HD households show some interest in upgrading their HD subscription package to include more HD channels."