According to a survey by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), 30% of US households have HD sets but only 44% of these receive HD programming. The main reasons consumers state for not receiving programming is that it was too expensive or they are not interested.
The CEA predicts 16 million HD sets will sell in 2007, bringing the total number in the US to 52.5 million and the penetration to 36% by the end of this year.
The study reveals that one of the primary reasons consumers are buying HD sets is not to watch television programming but rather to improve their movie and gaming experience. Currently, the most prevalent device connected to an HDTV not receiving HD programming is a DVD player. Nearly 40% of these consumer households also connect surround sound and video game systems to their HDTV.
A total of 66% of owners who receive HD programming get it through a cable company. Of the remaining households receiving HD programming, 27% are satellite, 8% are over-the-air, 3% fibre-optic service and 3% from the Internet. This profile mirrors the US television reception profile, indicating that HD content is not resulting in a migration to or from any one television programming provider.
