Report shows HDTV owners happy with PQ, unhappy with content
By Steven Kim 
posted October 6th 2007 9:57PM
posted October 6th 2007 9:57PM
A recent report by Nielsen concludes that while HDTV owners find the picture quality stunning, the amount of programming is less compelling. Check out some numbers: a whopping 85% of HDTV owners rated the picture quality of HD programming as "excellent" or "above average," but only 39% had the same feeling about the amount or selection of HD programming. The survey also shows that HDTV owners are hungry for more content and ready to pay (hear that, content and service providers?): almost 20% watch more TV than before getting an HD set, with more than 33% signed up for at least one premium channel. As industry decision makers look at these results, we're hoping that they take the hint and get some more HD goodness to the willing-to-pay audience. The numbers suggest what we've said before: stretch-o-vision isn't fooling anyone.
Hopefully this will mean more HD content. Or, this could just mean more stretch-o-vision or zooming in to get rid of the the sidebars and passing it off as "HDTV" by the providers. The Turner HD networks (TBS-HD, TNT-HD) really are pathetic with their "consistent viewing experience."
"a whopping 85% of HDTV owners rated the picture quality of HD programming as "excellent" or "above average,"
Only 85%??
The other 15% are watching mostly SD programming... probably stretched.
But I bet they're happy because "it fills the screen".
Or, the other 15% are sitting too close to their respective TV sets. They probably bought a 60-inch TV and sit six feet away.
Six feet away is not too close. What's the point of high definition if you sit too far away to see the extra detail. Higher resolution like 1920x1080 allows you to sit closer.
Or, the other 15% left their sets in "showroom torch" mode and are now blind.