GearBits

Top Desires for HDTV Content

The Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group, recently published the results of a survey on consumers and HDTV (high-definition television). Here are a few interesting results, which can be found as a supplement in a recent issue of TWICE Magazine:

What Viewers Want
When asked what they most wanted to watch in high definition, consumers responded as follows:
• 38% Movies
• 21% Sports
• 14% Education
• 7% Drama
• 6% News
All other categories were 3% or less. What intrigues me about this is the fact that 14% said educational content was their top desire. I don't have stats for regular TV, but my hunch is that this is quite a bit higher than for regular old programming. Has anybody seen this stat for TV overall?

What Viewers Notice
What do prospective buyers recognize about the HDTV format?
• 85% Crystal clear picture
• 60% Wide screen
• 46% Dolby Digital 5.1
• 21% 16:9 display format
I'm not sure why "16:9 display format" isn't the same as "wide screen," but I didn't write the questions.

Would Pay Extra
This percentage of viewers would pay extra charges to see the following types of content:
• 34% Movies
• 25% Sports
• 23% Educational content
• 19% News
• 17% Dramas
• 15% Comedy
• 13% Music TV
• 12% Sit-Coms
Now I ask you...do we really need to see Ray Romano in high-definition?

Interesting stuff. Now if we can just get the signal providers to start carrying more HD content, we can start truly enjoying the wonder that is high definition TV.