Confusion reigns among growing HDTV install base

Another day, another analyst report. We like this one from the Leichtman Research Group because it addresses the topic of in-home HD as a whole. Skipping past the format war, display technologies and content providers, we get a picture of how well HD is doing in the marketplace. The result is a mixed bag. First, the good news: about 25% of U.S. households have a least one TV capable of receiving HD (we assume to most respondents that equates to "displaying HD"), doubling the percentage from a year ago. Now, the bad news: 1) 20% of HDTV owners who think they are watching HD broadcasts are actually not; 2) only 41% of HDTV owners were told how to receive HD broadcasts when they purchased their set; and 3) about 40% of HDTV owners believe they have an HDM player, which is larger than the number of HDM players sold to date. So it would seem CE manufacturers, content distributors, publishers and retailers all have some consumer education to do. Once the "early-ish" adopters have made the jump to HD, the reasons to switch to HD have to be clear, and the path to HD has to be nice-and-easy; otherwise consumer satisfaction sinks, and we all know where that can lead!