The trend of higher return rates for HD and DTV sets than for analog sets is continuing. According to local TV and print media around the country, a lot of consumers who purchased (or received) HD sets for the holidays are frustrated in their initial attempts to get a clear picture because they are not aware they're not always viewing HD content; they find the set-up too cumbersome compared with the far simpler plug-and-play analog configuration; and are taken aback that analog stations via cable often are of poorer quality than from their old analog sets. So they return the DTV sets to retailers in a huff.
Education, or lack thereof, is the key. It is not atypical, say some retailers, to have a customer plunk down $2,500 or more for a plasma or LCD HD set, take it home, set it up in their suburban (or exurban) living room, and then wonder why their indoor rabbit-ear antenna doesn't do justice to their HD expectations. (Talk about "welcome to the '50s!")
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