In the early days of HD terrestrial broadcasting (the late 1990s) the Consumer Electronics Association established a Web site to help early-adopter HD set owners select the proper antennas for terrestrial reception. The antenna referral service, based on work compiled by the CEA R5 Antenna Systems Committee, also was available at many electronics outlets, and the online resource continues today.
The antenna guide requires consumers to do a bit of homework for their immediate coverage areas, with such CEA questions as, "Are there any buildings, steeples, towers, or other structures taller than four stories within four blocks of your location, airports within two miles of your location, and/or many nearby trees over 30 feet tall?"
NAB this month reported to its TV members that the CEA has produced a User Survey Summary Report gleaned from the Web site, which includes the following HD stats:
- 97 percent of visitors to the Web site are male, and two thirds are 45 or older.
Of this group: - Median household income is $75,000 (compared to $45,000 for the U.S. adult population).
- 83 percent of these Web site browsers own HD-capable sets (about five times the norm).
- 43 percent have a digital video recorder (compared to a CEA-estimated 17 percent for the general population).
- 94 percent own a DVD player (compared to 78 percent for the general population).
- 18 percent subscribe to satellite radio (compared to under 7 percent for the general population).
NAB notes to its members that data from the study is "self-reported" and therefore "some ownership rates may be slightly elevated due to confusion over relatively new product categories."
