Over the past three years, the sales of HDTV sets have increased by five-fold, at least when it comes to LCD and plasma sets and by the end of 2004, around 10% of US households had at least one HDTV set. As the prices continue to fall, more consumers begin forking out on HDTV sets as pricing falls within their budget. However, some HDTV providers don't expect HDTV sets to become mainstream until pricing falls below $500 and manufacturers discontinue analogue sets. The most common HDTV sets being sold are in the 40" range consisting of LCD, Plasma and rear projection sets.
Even though some HDTV owners know that their set is HDTV compatible, around 2/3 of US HDTV owners have not even viewed any HD content on their set. Most simply end up with a HDTV set because it has a large screen, can be hung on the wall or to watch DVDs on, rather than for the HDTV feature. In fact, there may be several other items the consumer must get before they can begin watching true HD content. Probably the cheapest option to start off would be to watch terrestrial HD content (if available) or subscribe to a satellite / cable TV service that offers HD programming. Unfortunately, if the consumer is looking for HD players or recorders, these come quite expensive with most HD compatible PVR's costing $1,000 or higher, such as the one available with DirecTV.
Although HD content is mainly limited to over-the-air broadcasts, it will not be long before game consoles and HD players hit the market. The next HD players to come will be either the HD-DVD or Blu-Ray players, although it is still unclear if there will be one or both types hitting the movie market. Microsoft's upcoming XBox will offer HD output and there are rumours about Sony also offering HD capability in its next PlayStation.
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HDTV sets, including the flat models that hang on walls, are some of the hottest electronic products around. But about two-thirds of the 12.8 million homes with HDTV sets weren't tuning in to a single program in full-blown high-def, according to the market research firm In-Stat. "Most of the people with HDTV sets are just using them to watch DVDs," said Michael Paxton, a senior researcher at the firm. The gap between HD set owners and viewership of HD programs shows how far the TV technology has come - and how far it has to go. Eventually, nearly everyone will have HDTV - it's a question of when. Read the full article here. |
From what I see, the lack of HDTV programming available is the main reason behind sales not booming. This likely tempts some consumers to wait until more content becomes available as well as for the pricing to fall. Besides pricing, another advantage to waiting would be for better features such as higher contrast ratio, thinner & lighter sets as well as better picture rendering. However, one major advantage to going for HD equipment right now would be to get equipment free of broadcast flag support (where available) before the July 1st deadline.
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Source: North Jersey Media Group
