HD confusion rife
A recent Ofcom report and new research from LG reveals that our industry still has a way to go in informing and educating consumers about high definition. Results show that although the majority of respondents want to experience HD, over 60 per cent of those surveyed are yet to invest in it due to confusion over the various formats and sources.
With a whopping 80 per cent of people confused over industry terminology such as HD Ready vs HD Ready 1080p (Full HD) and 25 per cent of Brits not understanding what HD is - thinking that owning a TV with an HD Ready logo or a digital box instantly makes all programmes high definition - the research highlights that consumers are suffering from information overload and struggling to keep up with the latest technology and jargon.
The recent Ofcom report, entitled HD Ready TV sets - Mystery shopping survey (published in November 2007), points to added consumer confusion as a result of incorrect information from retailers, such as the common misconception that HD is currently available on Freeview. The results of these reports show the need for clear and simple consumer education to ensure people know how to get HD and what to look-out for.
The increasing availability of HD content appears to be one of the main drivers behind consumer awareness and interest in the technology. The HD buzz was initially centred-around sport for the World Cup in 2006 and although the current Olympics HD broadcast also played a similar role, movies have made a leap in the league table, showing that 50 per cent of respondents cite it as being the most popular reason to watch high definition.
George Mead, marketing manager, LG Electronics digital display comments: “The HD industry is booming - with new products being launched more regularly and content becoming widely available - consumer choice has never been greater. It’s key for us to translate this growth into relevant and tangible consumer experiences and the only way this will succeed is through education and by keeping the tech jargon simple and clear.”
LG’s sample for the survey involved 1000 people over the age of 16 from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In lengthy telephone interviews during August 2008, they were asked how much they know about high definition television and to describe their experiences of it. Regional figures match the density of population.
Other findings to come out of the LG study include:
* Yorkshire and Humberside have the lowest understanding of what HD is with 30 per cent of people surveyed believing that owning a TV with an HD Ready logo or a digital box would automatically make all content high definition
* Wales has the highest understanding of HD with 90 per cent knowing how HD content is produced and viewed
* East Anglia has the highest HD adoption rate with 50 per cent of people now owning an HD TV and Scotland has the lowest adoption rate with 73 per cent of people still not owning an HD TV
* After buying an HD TV, over 30 per cent of Londoners thought the reduction in picture quality was due to lighting conditions in the room rather than the lack of HD content running on the screen
* 50 per cent of respondents in Yorkshire and Humberside thought that retailers used specially tuned high definition TVs to provide product demonstrations as the content quality wasn’t as good when they got it home - when in fact they were not watching HD content
* 60 per cent of people in Northern Ireland prefer to watch movies in HD
* 25 per cent of passionate Scottish fans watch sports the most in HD
www.lge.co.uk
www.ofcom.org.uk
