CEA Report Finds 30 Percent of U.S. Households Own Hi-Def TV

ARLINGTON, June 27: A new report from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reveals that 30 percent of U.S. households now own high-definition televisions (HDTV)—expected to rise to 36 percent by the end of this year—but also finds that more consumers are buying HDTVs to improve their movie and gaming experiences rather than for watching television programming.

The new CEA study, HDTV: You Have the Set, But Do You Have the Content?, found that 16 million high-definition televisions (HDTV) will sell this year, bringing the total number of HDTVs sold in the U.S. to 52.5 million. Among the 30 percent of HDTV households, almost a third own more than one high-definition set. However, only 44 percent of HDTV owners receive HD programming. The main reasons consumers stated for not receiving the programming was that it was too expensive or they were not interested. While there is some confusion among HD owners as to whether they are receiving HD programming, the vast majority of owners understand what programming they receive and do not receive.

The study revealed that one of the primary reasons consumers are buying HDTVs is not to watch television programming but rather to improve their movie and gaming experiences. Currently, a DVD player is the most prevalent device connected to an HDTV not receiving HD programming. Nearly 40 percent of these consumer households also connect surround sound and video game systems to their HDTV.

Sixty-six percent of owners who receive HD programming get their programming through a cable company. Of the remaining households receiving HD programming, 27 percent are satellite, 8 percent are over-the-air, 3 percent fiber optic service and 3 percent from the Internet. This shows that HD content is not resulting in a migration to or from any one television-programming provider.

The CEA study was administered via telephone interview to a random national sample of 2,508 U.S. adults between April 10 and 24, 2007.