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.
One advantage of the crystal-clear picture is that stars won't be able to pass for 20-somethings for umpty-odd years, keeping shows on long after they have ceased to entertain.