This New-Fangled Digital Transition Business
January 30, 2008

Backed by Warner's wind in their sails, Blu-ray fans are optimistic we are 'thisclose' to ending the war. With one format on shelves, maybe we can start to really get down to business of achieving mainstream high-def adoption. But I'm wondering if consumers will really jump at the prospect of one high-def format. I'm worried they will still be scratching their heads about media technology in general. Sure, some of their confusion over HD DVD or Blu-ray would go away if HD DVD fizzles. But they seem really, really confused about the capabilities of their TVs, according to a study by Consumer Reports about the Feb. 2009 transition from analog to digital broadcasting signals. Consumer Reports indicates a large number of people either are planning to buy things they don't need, or refusing to buy things they actually need, when broadcasters stop sending signals for rabbit-eared TV sets. Of those surveyed who have such a traditional analog TV, 61% of respondents incorrectly said they are not affected, don't know they are affected, or are completely unaware of the transition, according to the publication. Of those who are aware of the switch, 58% thought all TVs (digital or analog) will need a converter box to function, 48% thought that only digital TVs will work after 2009, and 24% thought they'd have to throw away their analog TV -when in fact, none of these are true.  Analog sets will continue to work after 2009, if consumers remember to purchase a digital converter box.
It seems weird that so many people are in the dark about something that seems to have been in the media for the last decade. But I bet I'd be in the dark on some of this stuff, as well, if I didn't keep up to date on it for VB. Consumer Reports notes that the U.S. government is allocating $5 million to educate people about the transition.
But really, if people are having problems just watching TV, it seems like a lot of folks are going to have problems with high-def media, even if it's all nicely boiled down to one format. First comes TV, then comes all the cool add-ons, right?  
I can see one of you guys snarking back, 'These ignorant fools are just like the silly late adopters that held tight to their VHS players until 2005! DVD survived just fine! HA!' I agree there are plenty of people that are set up perfectly with digital cable and/or satellite services, and are ready for the next step of high-def home entertainment. But I think this digital transition business could affect the promotional messaging of Blu-ray and/or HD DVD. There's only so much people can do at once. First, they'll need to figure out if they can watch TV in 2009. Then they can start dealing with a high-def player.

Posted by Susanne Ault on January 30, 2008 | Comments (0)