Survey says 13 percent have never heard of Hi-Def
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Nov 25th 2009 8:48AM
posted Nov 25th 2009 8:48AM
Surveys are really like a bad reality show or a train wreak, we just can't help but read them and this latest one from Frank N. Magid Associates is really something. Beyond the usual suspects, like only 63 percent of HD owners believing they are watching HD, is the fact that 13 percent of the respondents said they'd never heard of Hi-Def. We'd just love to hear how this question was phrased, because even the most introvert technophobes that we know have heard of HD. In fact we just can't think of a scenario where someone who lives on the grid wouldn't know what HD is.
This may sound silly, but what if those 13 percent have failed to make the connection between "HD" and "High Def(inition)"? This is America, after all, where someone like Britney Spears can make millions and think Alan Greenspan is a historical figure, like John Adams (lol).
Aside from folks misspelling Blu-ray and not knowing what it is, I'm sure some people had no idea what "HQ" meant back in the day.
Yes MOST of the American people think reallity TV is actually unrehearsed and believe that our STUPID POLITIANS really care about them.....
Having dealt with Magid before and having compared their raw numbers to the conclusions that were drawn, I pretty much do not trust anything they say.
As was already posted, I think part of the issue is that the questions probably used the term "high-def", where most people would be more likely to recognize "HD".
Strikes me as a very low number. I'd be surprised if it was too far off base. But as already stated, "never heard of" may simply be a question of knowing what it means.
-Pie
Without knowing the testing methodology, it's difficult to put much faith into the numbers. With knowing the testing methodology, I suspect I'd be even more critical.
I'm actually surprised that number isn't higher. There are a lot of folks who aren't technophobes but just don't care about such things.
It sounds right. people still have tubed tvs, the midwest and the dakotas still exist so they are still out of touch. Not really surprised.
I want a poll that asks so you think your watching HD, and then the real numbers of how many are watching HDTV.
@(Unverified) "the midwest and the dakotas still exist so they are still out of touch. Not really surprised."
You're the one out of touch.
Idiot.
@nrb
it was a joke, but if you really want to get into it. The amount of tech supplies used and purchased in the midwest is far less than the amount in the east and west coasts.
That's because there are more people on the coasts.
You'd be amazed as to how much tech comes out of the Midwest. It's just not PC based stuff. For example, in the spirit of EngadgetHD, the company that invented LCD display technology is in the Midwest.
I'd assume that it's more a question of the terminology than the technology. There's probably some of those 13% that probably don't have any idea what Hi-Def or HD mean, but the majority probably have heard the expression "HDTV" as opposed to "Hi Def."
Who knows, since we don't know who was asked, it could be some older respondents that think "Hi-Def" is like their old "Hi-Fi." Maybe they think it's used to play records.
And that 13% is old people.
I have family members who have a huge HDTV and Satellite TV (along with OTA). They cannot see a difference between HD and SD, so they just Zoom in on the SD, don't subscribe to the HD service from their Satellite Provider, and preferred using the built-in Analog Tuner over the external HD Tuner for their TV. So this is not surprising.
50% never heard of G-spot either.
I can guarantee you that on any given day, my in-laws (who have a 54" Panny G10 plasma) will be watching the SD version of a channel on cable and not the HD version. it drives me insane.