Are Consumers buys HDTV

Courtesy of TechWeb News
(08/10/2005 5:05 PM EDT)

Consumers show little interest in high-definition DVDs, which is reflected by the low numbers planning to upgrade to products capable of playing the next generation disks, a market research firm said Wednesday.
In a survey of online consumers, considered the more technically savvy, only 6 percent planned to buy new or upgraded DVD players in the next 12 months, and only 11 percent had high-definition capable TVs or set-top boxes, JupiterResearch said.

With such minimal consumer interest, manufacturers and media companies backing two competing standards for high-definition DVDs -- HD-DVD and Blu-ray -- would better their chances of speeding adoption by settling on one technology.

"Historically, consumers have resisted investing in format shifts. The release of multiple HD media formats at high prices adds to consumer confusion and ultimately slows adoption of any format," JupiterResearch analyst Joni Blecher said in a statement. "Although there is consumer interest in the improved viewing experience that's offered by HD, it's not enough to spark a media format shift at present."

The keys to success of any next-generation DVD format depend on backward compatibility with existing players and low prices, JupterResearch said. The analyst firm found that more than half of online consumers were most interested in low cost and backward compatibility.
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