# One in Four U.S. Homes Expects HDTV Next Year



## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

A new survey from Panasonic reveals that 26 percent of U.S. households either
owns or plans to own a high-definition television by the end of 2006. According
to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the findings represent an
increase from 15 percent one year ago.

"As people gain a better understanding of what HD offers at prices that are 
increasingly affordable, we're seeing an incredible surge in sales," said 
Andrew Nelkin, Panasonic Display Group VP.

Panasonic's survey said most men (70 percent) are interested in purchasing an
HDTV with either large (51 inches and above) or medium (37 to 50 inches) screen
sizes, while 76 percent of women lean more towards a smaller size screen.

To help (buyers) reach a decision on what to buy, Panasonic recommends they
consider the lighting in the room they plan to watch their new HDTV. The 80 %
of respondents who are watching TV in typical home lighting or even in a home
theater-like environment should consider a plasma HDTV, which operates best
in those conditions.

According to Steve Kovsky, senior analyst at Current Analysis market research,
the color contrast and richness of detail on plasma TVs make for excellent
viewing, and plasmas offer the best value among large televisions currently
on the market.

"As a technology, plasma provides one of the richest viewing
experiences from a contrast ratio standpoint and from its ability
to show the fullness of detail in fast-motion video. For (those)
men who associate HDTV most with sports watching, a plasma
HDTV would be the better choice."

The Panasonic survey also identified that men and women equally (53 percent
and 52 percent respectively) reported that the living room is where they would
most likely watch their new HDTV.


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## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

But, most of them will still be watching analog on their new "Huge Damn TeleVision" (HDTV) monitors.


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## KKlare (Sep 24, 2004)

Suggesting plasma TVs sounds like self-promotion given the limited life and higher expense. A DLP or LCD model will work well, if not better, in all but highly overlit conditions, which are not good for TV anyway. This from a guy that decided even they were too expensive 2 years ago and settled for the narrower viewing angle of a CRT RP.

-Ken


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