Survey Says: One in Five HDTV Owners Don't Have HD programming

[J_UNTITLED]

From PC World...

"If it's flat and has a big-screen, it's high-def, right? Apparently, a lot of HDTV buyers think so.

A recent survey by the Leichtman Research Group (LRG) shows that 18 percent of HDTV owners think they're watching high-definition shows, when in fact they're viewing standard definition programming. The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1302 U.S. households. This is LRG's sixth annual study on the topic.

Given the general consumer confusion surrounding HDTV-all those mind-numbing specs like 1080p and HDMI aren't easy to grasp-it's no surprise that many buyers are still clueless. Standard content that's stretched to fill the entire screen may look funny, but at least the picture's big. Problem is, buyers may start to wonder why they abandoned their tube TV for a pricey set with a worse picture.

The halfhearted roll-out of HD service by cable providers isn't helping either. Optional high-definition service often includes only a dozen or so highly compressed HD channels, which look pretty crappy and don't do justice to HD's potential.

Retailers could do more to help too. Just 42 percent of HDTV owners say they were told to get high-def programming when they bought their sets.

And Blu-ray sales have been disappointing thus far, so most buyers aren't seeing HD in its full, 1080p glory. When you can count Johnny Depp's nose hairs in Pirates of the Caribbean, there's no turning back.

Despite the confusion, HD adoption is booming. A third of HDTV owners have more than one high-def set, and 25 percent plan to buy another one in the next year. Also, a third of U.S. households have at least one HDTV, roughly double the percentage that had an HD set two years ago, the survey says."

[cinema725]

That's sad, but atleast it's only 18%.

[Driver_King]

I wonder how many people have their Pioneer Kuro Elite TV's and their Blu-ray player connected with composite cables.

[sodrock]

gosh. I can count on two hands the amount of people who I turned "onto" HD programming, ahem, when they already had an HDTV!

[popcornninja]

I used to be a "non-believer" but I've even done side-by-side (PS3 vs. Sony Upconverting DVD player) w/ 3:10 To Yuma on Blu and SDVD.......there is no comparison, Blu-Ray hands down.

[crackinhedz]

Survey Says: One in Five HDTV Owners Can't tell the Difference

they must have survey'd my wife.

[mdm1699]

That is not surprising. It takes time for the eyes to adjust. The average person really don't notice the difference until they go back to the lower resolution.

[bajor27]

I don't know if "Can't Tell the Difference" is really the right phrasing to be used. I'm sure at least some of that 18% would be able to tell you which set is playing HD content if they were shown 2 side by side comparisons (1 with HD content and one with stretched SD content)

18% still thinking you get HD content just by using an HDTV is still pretty sad though.

[dobyblue]

That's actually down substantially, so it's good news overall.
Consumers are getting educated.

Plus, it's not that they can't tell the difference, they haven't even seen the difference yet.

[RustyK94]

This survey was conducted by PC World. Considering it was conducted poissibly with there costomers who are generaley ignorant in regards to technology. It hardly surprises me that they came up with this result.

So whats worse then. The fact that according to PC World 1 in 5 can't tell the difference between HD and SD. Or ppl are stupid enough to shop in PC World.

[jetydosa]

Originally Posted by RustyK94

This survey was conducted by PC World. Considering it was conducted poissibly with there costomers who are generaley ignorant in regards to technology. It hardly surprises me that they came up with this result.

So whats worse then. The fact that according to PC World 1 in 5 can't tell the difference between HD and SD. Or ppl are stupid enough to shop in PC World.

PC World is a magazine, not a store.

Also this thread topic quotes the PC World article incorrectly, its "Dont Know the Difference", not "Cant Tell the Difference". Bottom line, its consumer ignorance.

[Blu-Benny]

my 80 some year old grandpa could even tell a difference!!!

[cheezz]

Me thinks the one in five are the ones with HDTV but no HD programming.

[Teabaggins]

I also think it's sad that basic instruction manuals do not inform HDTV noobs to mess with the settings at all. I wonder how many people are sitting around watching their sets on "vivid" while squinting at the screen

[Branden]

this article is no surprise to me.
the impression i get is 99% of people understand you need an HDTV to watch HD, about half understand you also need and HD source (blu-ray player, HD programming), but only a dismal fraction of people understand you need an HD connection between the two (HDMI).
if i had a nickel for everytime i walked into bestbuy and saw their HDTV display with a 1080p plasma, blu-ray player, and composite cables....

[Midnightsailor]

Calibration.

[Samsang]

I can't tell how many times I see this. The waiting rooms, cafeterias, etc. of so many businesses and hospitals have HD LCD or plasma displays installed, but they are tuned to local analog broadcasts. In almost all cases* the local stations also offer digital HD broadcast signals. They just need to tune in the right channel, but don't know.

* A couple of these businesses had analog basic-cable with no HD signal.

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

Im not surprised

[Julohan]

The article also states that people who receive ota hd programming are included into not having hd services. I have an hdtv, and get many ota hd channels. So I don't see the point to bu hd service when I get the majority of the hd channels already.

[RustyK94]

Originally Posted by jetydosa

PC World is a magazine, not a store.

Also this thread topic quotes the PC World article incorrectly, its "Dont Know the Difference", not "Cant Tell the Difference". Bottom line, its consumer ignorance.

We have stores over here called PC world

Thought America did to