# Report: High HDTV Sales Mask Buyer Confusion



## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

From MediaBiz:


> According to a study conducted by Leichtman Research Group that was reported on this week in The Wall Street Journal, nearly half of the 24 million HDTV owners in the U.S. don't watch high-def programming because they don't have the right hardware. What's more, six million of them don't even realize that what they're watching isn't HD.
> 
> For Bruce Leichtman, president of the market research firm that conducted the study, it's a situation that boils down to "cognitive dissonance." For the consumer electronics industry, it's trouble.
> 
> ...


www.MediaBiz.com - used with permission


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## ebaltz (Nov 23, 2004)

No big surprise there. Most people are idiots in general and then when you mix in tech knowledge that number rises significantly. Add in that most people believe anything they hear on TV or spoken by a salesperson and the number goes up even further. Frankly I guess I am not surprised the number isn't something more like 95%. Part of the knowledgable 5% would be us DBS folks. ;-)


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## Rasputin13 (Oct 24, 2006)

ebaltz said:


> No big surprise there. Most people are idiots in general and then when you mix in tech knowledge that number rises significantly. Add in that most people believe anything they hear on TV or spoken by a salesperson and the number goes up even further. Frankly I guess I am not surprised the number isn't something more like 95%. Part of the knowledgable 5% would be us DBS folks. ;-)


Those figures don't surprise me either. BUT, I would disagree with your overly harsh characterization of people who are in the dark about hd. I don't think (to the average non-tech person) it is terribly intuitive that things such as: (1) the equipment actually used to film a program, (2) the transmission source, and (3) equipment other than one's hd capable tv, all factor into whether hd shows up on one's tv. Hell, you find people smart enough to find these forums confused by the fact that sometimes the programming on sportcenter hd is not hd.

For the non-tech minded person, I think it takes a deliberate study effort to realize and understand that this latest technological advance in televisions is materially different than any other advance since the first tv's were introduced. Hell, it seems that programmers and electronics manufacturer can't figure out aspects of this new technology (e.g., hdmi communication problems, hdcp handshake failures, etc.).

Given the complexities in this area, it is not at all surprising that people believe these dim-bulb salespeople (not all of them, I'm sure) at bestbuy and places like they. They talk a good show and usually speak with enough confidence such that the uninitiated believe them. But that doesn't make people dumb or idiots in my view.

In any event, the point raised by the study is both interesting and alarming. The area is only going to get more complex and hopefully, as the article suggests, more dealers will seize the opportunity to help and not dupe.


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## 4DThinker (Dec 17, 2006)

The ironic part is that most retail sales persons assume you DON"T know anything about it. I don't know how many local BestBuy clerks I've had to explain why 1080i is better than 720p.


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## LI-SVT (May 18, 2006)

Bring home TV, hook up antenna, plug in power cord, turn on TV. Now scan for channels and use at will.

OR

Bring home TV, hook up CATV, plug in power cord, turn on TV. Now scan for channels and use at will.

There are more complicated options like sat TV, HD cable boxes, etc. Those options usually include professional installation.


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## ebaltz (Nov 23, 2004)

4DThinker said:


> The ironic part is that most retail sales persons assume you DON"T know anything about it. I don't know how many local BestBuy clerks I've had to explain why 1080i is better than 720p.


And in doing so prove your own ignorance. Let the debate begin again! Please lets not rehash it.


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## 4DThinker (Dec 17, 2006)

I knew the minute I said 1080i was better than 720p there would be a retort. 

Of course there are many variables to picture quality. But if everything (size, contrast ratio, refresh rate, etc.,) but resolution is the same, then 1920x1080 pixels is always going to look better than 1280x720 when the content is 1080i. Do you have troubled vision or trouble doing math, ebaltz? Your logic is also a bit off wanting a debate but not a rehash. I'm gonna guess you've bought a 720p display and have had to convince yourself it's the best.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Whoa fellas...you're arguing over how many angels can fit on the head of a pin. I
have both - a 53" 1080i RPTV display in my HT and a 23" 720p LCD on my desk.

Both are excellent -- incredibly sharp and crisp PQ.


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## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

Read a link on AVSForum about a school district in PA that is figuring they'll have to buy all new HDTV sets and run fiber to all their classrooms in the next 23 months, "because of the HDTV transition".

I don't think they understand it either.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

kenglish said:


> Read a link on AVSForum about a school district in PA that is figuring they'll have to buy all new HDTV sets and run fiber to all their classrooms in the next 23 months, "because of the HDTV transition".
> 
> I don't think they understand it either.


Sounds like somebody's selling them a bill of goods.

Unless their TV's all operate OTA, they already have an NTSC distribution system and all they need to do is replace the headend, like buying an ATSC settop box, or they could just do that for each TV. Much less expensive than replacing all their TV's.


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## ebaltz (Nov 23, 2004)

4DThinker said:


> I knew the minute I said 1080i was better than 720p there would be a retort.
> 
> Of course there are many variables to picture quality. But if everything (size, contrast ratio, refresh rate, etc.,) but resolution is the same, then 1920x1080 pixels is always going to look better than 1280x720 when the content is 1080i. Do you have troubled vision or trouble doing math, ebaltz? Your logic is also a bit off wanting a debate but not a rehash. I'm gonna guess you've bought a 720p display and have had to convince yourself it's the best.


Perhaps my sarcasm was lost on you. But 1080i is actually 540p as we all know.  And nope I have sets that do both. I have no preference. But get a good laugh at others expense by inciting their loyalties.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

ebaltz said:


> ...
> But 1080i is actually 540p as we all know.  ...


Haha ! Now substract overscan and CC data and you will have old NTSC 525 lines standard. Funny to see the BS again and again.


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## 4DThinker (Dec 17, 2006)

And if you have a PIP feature on your TV it'll flash back and forth between progressive and interlaced. Your 540p image will double in size and your TV will explode.

;-)


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