HDTV awareness high, but purchase plans still low
By Kevin C. Tofel 
posted Jan 20th 2006 10:43AM
posted Jan 20th 2006 10:43AM
Nine out of ten Americans have heard
of HDTV but only 15 out of 100 are planning a high-def purchase these days. So the awareness is there, but the intent
to adopt isn't. Is lack of content holding folks back? Perhaps, but the choices have steadily increased and events like the Super Bowl,
March Madness and the Olympics
certainly help. Could it be price? Sure, that's a factor, but one that becomes less of an issue every week if you watch
the local ads at electronic retailers. Our thought is that it's just a general confusion with too many technical terms,
formats and a lack of clarity with specifications
and advertising.If 2006 is to be the "Year of HDTV" what will it take? More ads? Better consumer education? All of the above and more?
Ultimately, it may not matter if consumers are educated. For example Panasonic just announced it will stop producing analog sets next month... so as folks replace TVs, as time goes on they'll be more likely to end up with digital HD sets whether they know it or not.
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20060119AA063.html
Price is an issue as well. I know about HDTV, and I really, really want to buy one, but a decent HD setup for me would include a DVR -- preferrably Dish Network's DVR-942 -- so it would run me at least $1,000, more for a good LCD. I don't exactly have that kind of cash available to me right now, as I'm still busy paying down other debts. =^(
Here's something the TV makers don't want to hear: I have a Comcast Dual Tuner HD DVR (Motorola 6412) connected to my surround sound receiver and 6 year old JVC 32 inch CRT TV. The Comcast box down-converts to DVD quality which is much better than the grainy quality of standard channels.
I get all the HD channels Comcast offers and they look great on my old TV and surround sound is great too. While it is NOT true HD or anything close...the HD channels look and sound superior on my old TV to the regular channel line-up.
It's enough of an improvement over the standard TV quality, that I'm happy. Or at least happy enough to wait for 50 Plasma TV's go for less than $2000.
All this semi HD goodness and time-shifting for an extra $5/month more than I was paying.
What will it take? My presently working 35" TV to break down! It is hard to believe but with the exception of a select few people, most people just do not care about HDTV. They're not impressed. Sure, I would prefer HD over SD, but unless the HDTV is given to me for free, why spend ANY money, when what I have now is more than enough to suit me? We will all have HDTV soon enough.
Here's what it will take for me. I've got the cash, and I've got the knowledge.
Its not about price, its about value. There isn't enough content for my liking to warrant the jump. I don't watch the network or premium cable. I watch a lot of basic cable (Scifi, USA, TNT, Food, MSNBC, CNN, FX, Comedy, Cartoon, ESPN, etc). Content from only 2 of those stations is available in HD. Why would I spend all that money on a TV that isn't going to make Good Eats, or Battlestar Galactica, look any better than it does now? HD doesn't offer enough value RIGHT NOW to make it worth the price premium. If decent 40+ LCDs drop below $1500 (say, $1200), I might bite. But then...
I LOVE TIVO. I also love my cheap cable and don't want DirecTV. I will not make the jump to HD until there is a standalone HD-Tivo. None of the other solutions will cut it -- I got Tivo because I don't have to manage it. I don't want Cox's crappy HD box, because I don't want to have to supervise it on a daily basis to make sure I'm getting all the things I expect to get.
My $0.02