Frank N. Magid Associates released a study showing that just 47 percent of people who bought an HDTV in the last year did so in anticipation of the HD programming they'd be able to watch on their new purchase. That's a pretty large decline from the 63 percent who looked forward to the HD television content two years ago. USA Today has the full story.
The drop in interest for high-def TV programming seems to have come as more consumers are saying they plan to use their HDTVs for gaming and DVD watching. Magid also did a survey in September of HD consumers showing that on a scale of 1 to 10, a majority rated the HD programming available as 7 or worse. Reasons cited included having to find the HD channels that are often in the 700s or 800s and confusion over having to lease an HD cable or satellite receiver box.
I've said for years that the CE and cable industries do a horendously poor job of educating consumers about HD. Despite a number of industry-backed HD/DTV educational initiatives, many people still don't realize they need to procure a source of high-def programming after they get their beautiful new HDTV home from the store. Look, you can't buy a cell phone without cell service (for the most part). You can't buy a satellite radio without service from Sirius or XM. Why haven't cable/satellite and CE done a better job of promoting -- or even pushing -- HD service offerings in retail? Mostly it's because they don't like each other. But that's not really a good enough reason.
Someone needs to start incentivizing retail sales people to teach consumers about the HD service options available and what makes the most sense for them. Until then, we'll continue to see studies like this one that prove that too many folks in the HD industry are dropping the ball.
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2 comments:
What is really amazing is that people who buy HD sets don't know that the best HD signals come over the air, free for the taking and now most HD sets have a tuner where you merely hook up a over-the-air antanna and all networks have perfect, stunning HD programming.
What is so SAD is the MAJOR providers of HDTV CONTENT like DIRECTV and DISH that ADVERTISE right beside all of these new HDTV'S in the stores are the WORST OFFENDERS OF NOT ADDING ENOUGH HDTV PROGRAMMING TO THE PUBLIC. I would love to live somewhere where an antennae would pick up any type of signal but not everyone lives in a big city. I don't even have cable as an alternative and the programming on DISH AND DIRECTV is SO LACKING and I took the HDTV PLUNGE 7 YEARS AGO, I can honestly say today that I sure wish I would have waited. I have a stack of DVD'S that I have watched once. Please give us some more PROGRAMMING DIRECTV AND DISH.
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