Here are some highlights from a series of instant on-site polling that research firm DisplaySearch conducted among industry attendees at its third annual HD conference recently in Beverly Hills. This is not meant to signify what typical consumers may prefer, since presumably the professional attendees at the Beverly Hills meeting were better attuned to telecommunications issues, and generally enjoy higher household incomes, per se, than the general public:
- 80 percent of poll respondents said they would buy a 1080p TV monitor if enough content became available, but 55 percent said they would delay their purchase until there is a single next-generation DVD standard and a clear winner between the incompatible Blu-ray and HD DVD formats.
- 77 percent of attendees said they would be willing to pay up to $500 more for a 1080p TV, versus a similarly designed 720p TV.
- 60 percent would pay a premium for a 720p DVD compared to a conventional DVD, and 58 percent said they would pay a premium for a 1080p DVD versus a 720p DVD.
- 93 percent claimed to have seen digital compression artifacts when watching a program in HD.
- 59 percent believe the big-box discount stores (Wal-Mart, Costco, etc.) can take significant share from national chains (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.) due to lower prices.
- 18 percent said they would be more likely to purchase a $2,500 HD set over the Internet than at a retail outlet.
- If priced the same, 60 percent would purchase a 42-inch HD LCD, with the remaining 40 percent opting for HD plasma.
- 74 percent would pay $200 more for a 42-inch flat panel than for a 42-inch rear-projection monitor.
- 39 percent said they would wall-mount "their next" plasma TV.
- Nearly two-thirds of participants expect 1080p rear projection sales to exceed 720p rear projection sales in North America by 2007.
