Is Your HD Done Right? Who Knows?
October 4, 2007 – 5:27 am
It seems as though every guy I know covets a high-definition (HD) television system with surround sound. My brother-in-law told me that he watched the first half of a football game at a neighbor’s house who had an HD setup. Unfortunately, the quality of the picture was so good that when he tried to watch the second half on his own home system he was so disappointed that he just went out and cut the grass.
I just don’t understand this infatuation with these ultra high quality television systems but I am not much of a television addict. As a result, I don’t know much about setting up an HD televison or the exotic sound systems that are often connected to them. However, I assumed that the people who shell out the mega bucks to buy these home entertainment showcases could tell me more than I would ever care to know about setting up and operating the systems. Apparently Best Buy was not so certain that these arm chair electronics experts were as knowledgeable as they letting on so they decided to do a little research to find out.
They recently commissioned GfK Custom Research North America to conduct a telephone survey of men and women aged 18 and older to determine their level of understanding regarding high-definition television and the components necessary to receive the full HD experience. The results may surprise you.
Almost all consumers (89%) feel they don’t completely understand HDTV technology, how it works and what it takes to get the full HDTV experience so I guess I am normal – that’s always comforting to know.
HDTV ownership does not equate to understanding – 41% of HDTV owners understand little to nothing at all about HDTV. Now this surprises me since, before I spent that much money, I would have researched it to the point where I would be boring everyone I know with my grasp of all things HD.
While 41% of HDTV owners admit to knowing little to nothing at all about HD, they would not want to admit it to friends and family. In fact, over half (52%) of HDTV owners agree it would be difficult to admit their HDTV wasn’t set up right after showing off to friends and family. In ancient Greece, Socrates encouraged his student to “know thy self” – of course they didn’t have HD televison back then.
Half of HDTV owners (50%) admit they are either not watching HD programming, or they aren’t sure if they are. Of these respondents, 35% didn’t realize they needed to subscribe to HD programming to watch HDTV. Another saying that is often credited to P. T. Barum may also be appropriate for these folks, “there is a sucker born every minute.”
Nearly four in ten consumers (39%) don’t identify an HD-ready TV as a necessary component of the HD experience. These people are obviously not Smarter Than a 5th Grader.
52% of respondents don’t realize you need a special HD compatible cable to experience HD programming. I wonder if a 5th grader would know this because I didn’t know it.
Despite the fact that HDTV components can account for as much as 50% of an HD home theater system, more than half of the respondents (52%) would spend 75-100% of their HDTV system budget on the TV. Is there such a thing as a “budget” HD television?
Six out of ten Americans expressed a need for aids like a budgeting tool (66%), definitions of each component (61%), or access to an online expert (59%). Half (49%) express the need for tools to create a virtual HD environment online. You know, based on the responses to the previous questions, I could have probably figured this one out on my own.
All kidding aside, Best Buy has put together a fantastic web resource about everything HD. Just think, not only will you be able to impress your friends with your new HD television system, you will also be able to tell them more than they really care to know about purchasing and setting up a system. It just doesn’t get any better than that! Check it out!
CLICK HERE: