A total of 16 million HDTVs will be sold in 2007, elevating the number of HD sets sold in the United States to 52.5 million, according to a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
The percentage of U.S. households with an HDTV is likely to reach 36 percent by the end of the year — up from 30 percent today, the CEA study said. One-third of HDTV households own more than one HD set.
The study — “HDTV: You Have the Set, But Do You Have the Content?” — revealed that 56 percent of HDTV owners do not receive HD programming. The study identified the expense of HD programming as the main reason HDTV owners don’t choose to receive HD content. It also found that consumer confusion over the type of programming they are receiving — HD vs. SD — is waning. The vast majority of HDTV owners understand what programming they receive and do not, according to the study.
A primary reason consumers are buying HDTVs is not to watch TV programming but rather to improve their movie and gaming experience, the study said. Currently, the most prevalent device connected to an HDTV not receiving HD programming is a DVD player. Nearly 40 percent of these consumer households also connect surround-sound and video game systems to their HDTV.
Of viewers electing to receive HD programming, sources include:
- Cable — 66 percent
- Satellite — 27 percent
- Over-the-air reception — 8 percent
- Fiber-optic service — 3 percent
- Internet — 3 percent
This profile mirrors the U.S. TV reception profile, indicating that HD content is not resulting in a migration to or from any one TV-programming provider, the CEA said.
For more information, visit www.ebrain.org and www.ce.org.
