HDTV owners hooked on high-def, say DEG

Report finds 43% of HDTV owners dislike standard-def content

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 11/14/2008

NOV. 14 | The prospects are bright for mainstream Blu-ray Disc adoption, as growing numbers of HDTV owners are hungry for more high-quality programming, according to a new Digital Entertainment Group white paper, “HDTV Owners: The Prospects for High-Definition Media.”

Using findings from market research firm SmithGeiger, DEG reports that 43% of HDTV owners don’t like standard-definition content once they’ve experienced high-def. Also, 36% say they watch shows in high-def that they wouldn’t normally watch in standard-def.

Currently, standard DVD players are the most popular home entertainment attachment to an HDTV, with 78% of respondents saying that device is hooked up to their sets. Next comes video-on-demand access at 43%; Blu-ray, 28%; downloading/streaming, 21%; and upconverting DVD players, 14%.

Blu-ray to HDTV attachment should climb, according to SmithGeiger, as especially satisfied format adopters spread the word about Blu-ray’s benefits. In the study, 68% of Blu-ray owners say watching the movie in the format is better than watching on standard-def DVD. Also, for movies that are available on Blu-ray and standard-def, 63% say they would always want the Blu-ray version.

“There is a high level of evangelism for Blu-ray,” SmithGeiger president Chris Lang said. “Eighty-four percent [of Blu-ray owners] said they are either very likely or somewhat likely to recommend Blu-ray to a friend.”