New research from the Consumer Electronics Association shows that 33 percent of non-owning high-definition television (HDTV) households are interested in having a professional install an HDTV in the next two years. That translates to 20.5 million households.
The CEA research also found that 43 million U.S. households now have broadband Internet access compared to 2 million in 1999. It is possible that dial-up Internet connections will be a thing of the past by the end of the decade, according to CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro. The leader of the trade association made the findings public March 30 at the Electronic House Expo in Orlando.
The United States ranks No. 15 in the world in high-speed Internet penetration. Asian countries top the list, with South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan all having higher than 50 percent penetration, and Japan reaching 49 percent.
Dial-up Internet access is on a notable decline in the United States, according to the study. In 2000, dial-up Internet connections accounted for 74 percent of all U.S. residential Internet connections. That dropped to 60 percent by 2003, and currently stands at 36 percent.
Cable Internet access has lost ground when it comes to customer value and popularity, the study found. In October 2000, cable broadband accounted for 15 percent of all Internet connections, compared to four percent for digital subscriber line (DSL). By March 2006, cable and DSL were head to head, each with 29 percent of the residential Internet market.
For more information, visit www.ce.org.
