What will it take to get consumers to buy a DTV set? Lyra Research surveyed more than 900 adults--who know about HDTV--to answer that question. Steve Hoffenberg, principal analyst for the DTV View Report series and director of electronic media research for Lyra, said most respondents are not compelled to buy an HDTV set in 2005; it's not a "must-have." "Additionally, as savvy electronics consumers, they expect HDTV prices to keep falling, giving them incentive to hold off buying," Hoffenberg said.
The study reported the results for male and female respondents separately, although there wasn't a big difference between the sexes. For example, when asked if they would buy a DTV set if their favorite football team was Super Bowl-bound, only 2 percent of males and 2 percent of females responded affirmatively. Having a family member ask for a DTV set as a gift got a better response--7 percent of males versus 6 percent of females said it would make them more likely to buy a set.
If their current primary TV set stopped working, most respondents said they would be likely to replace it with a DTV set--63 percent of the males and 61 percent of the females. A huge tax refund from the IRS would also help drive the purchase of a DTV set by 28 percent of the male respondents and 32 percent of the female respondents.
For additional information, see the Lyra news release announcing the study. It includes a graph of the responses and details on the survey. If you have trouble with this link or want to see other studies on DTV by Lyra, visit the DTVView Web site. The news release can be found under the "press room" link in the bar at the top of the page.
