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Nielsen stats find 33% of U.S. households with at least one HDTV

by Richard Lawler posted May 21st 2009 at 11:41PM


A good six months after the Leichtman Research group published figures pushing HDTV penetration over one third of the U.S., Nielsen's February survey has produced similar numbers, indicating a rise from the 23% it found prior to the holiday season. Whatever the cause for the jump and the discrepancy, there's plenty of numbers to digest, for those into that. Want to know how many televisions (including SD) the average HDTV owner has? 3. There's still a gap between those who have an HDTV, and the 28% actually able watch HDTV broadcasts, assumed to exist not only because of a lack of consumer education, but also that people are unwilling to add to their cable/satellite bill on a monthly basis to tune in to HD. Punch the read link for the full breakdown, we're sure there's an interesting factoid or trend buried in there somewhere.

Blu-ray and Freeview join UK consumption basket

by Darren Murph posted Mar 25th 2009 at 7:36AM


Far be it from the personality of Blu-ray (or the BDA, we should say) to reach for notoriety in any way possible, but Blu-ray has just gained one more modicum of staying power over in the UK. For the first time, the existing high-def movie format has been placed gently between the likes of fruit and kitty litter in the theoretical consumer "basket," which supposedly looks to best reflect UK consumer spending habits. We're also told that Freeview set-top-boxes have joined the fray, right along with DVD rentals and portable media players. Maybe that 396 percent surge in UK-based BD sales had a little something to do with it?

Blu-ray Discs sliding into public libraries -- has yours made the move?

by Darren Murph posted Mar 19th 2009 at 10:05AM


We figured it would happen sooner or later, but quite honestly, we never imagined we'd see a public library stocking Blu-ray Discs this soon. A vigilant tipster has pointed out that the Washington Centerville Public Library in Ohio now has BDs for patrons to check out, though his own observances have revealed that the general public is still having a hard time understanding that these discs cannot be played back on standard DVD players. And yes, that's despite the dozen signs informing them of that little fact. In order to make them easily identifiable, all BDs in the library are kept in their iconic blue cases, and as the collection grows, guests are allowed to check out a limit of two at a time. Has your library jumped on the Blu-ray bandwagon? Give it a call and find out.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Analysts hem and haw on future Blu-ray success

by Darren Murph posted Feb 26th 2009 at 7:15AM


The CEA had expected that sales of Blu-ray decks would reach around 5.7 million units this year, and while some may quickly assume that this whole economic crisis may sideline that forecast, many analysts are saying that it could actually help matters. On one hand, it's easy to assume that potential BD buyers will opt to simply hold tight to their funds, but on the other, many may justify the purchase of higher-end in-home electronics given that they'll be spending less time out on the town. Tim Alessi, LG Electronics product development director, confessed that he was "still in agreement with the CEA's estimates that Blu-ray decks have the potential to double this year to roughly 5.7 million units. Jonathan Zupnik, Sears audio/video/TV DMM, stated the following: "As we are hearing the opening price point is already flashing $149 - it needs to be $99 to really get things going. Even with that, as long as the movies are over $20 that will continue to keep things at a relatively slow pace. The consumer is used to [disc prices of] $13.99 at launch and picking through bins at $3.99." We totally hear you, Mr. Zupnik.

Survey finds that HD Super Bowl could bring families together

by Darren Murph posted Jan 28th 2009 at 3:53PM


We've seen some pretty outlandish survey results before, but this might just take top honors. A Samsung-commissioned poll has revealed that "an HDTV can entice your spouse to visit the in-laws, even for the Super Bowl, if it means viewing football in high-definition." Heard that? Your family could actually grow fonder of one another if your in-laws are showing the Super Bowl in high-def. The actual results were that 43 percent would make the trek to their in-laws if they could count on watching the big game in HD, with 50 percent of that subset being men and 34 percent being women. The survey also found that 81 percent felt image quality was more important than food, and we're left to wonder what on Earth those other 19 percent are drinking so heavily. Check the read link for even more laughs.

[Image courtesy of PBase]

Wireless HDTV products backed with cash, still barely available

by Darren Murph posted Dec 15th 2008 at 12:56PM


ABI Research definitely put its thinking cap on for this one, as it recently found that wireless HDTV vendors are still pouring cash into products, yet few are available for consumption in North America. It's a trend we've watched develop, and we cringe to think that it's not getting better. Chances are we'll see a new wave of cord-free HD products at CES 2009, all while we wait patiently for cord-free wares from CES 2008 to make it out of the testing phase. Sadly, the report doesn't actually mention anything we didn't already know -- companies are still out there trying to prove their format is superior, all while actual manufacturers dillydally around and miss one opportunity after another. And really, with prices like $1,499 for the Belkin FlyWire, we wonder if there's any mass market appeal even if the shipments do begin to flow.

HDTV / HD programming gap gets slimmer, still significant

by Darren Murph posted Dec 11th 2008 at 4:20PM

We've always said that friends shouldn't let (real) friends buy HDTVs without HD programming, and it seems that some of you have taken this to heart. Just two years ago, some 40% of HDTV-owning US households had not bothered to subscribe to any form of high-def programming. Today, In-Stat is reporting that said figure has stooped to 18%. Sure, the drop is fairly dramatic, but that still proves that nearly 1 in 5 HDTV-equipped homes probably aren't even enjoying HDTV content. The top two reasons consumers gave for not buying were that they simply "weren't interested" or that HD channels were "too expensive." Funny -- just a few years back, the main excuse was "not enough content," and now that content isn't the issue, we've moved on to complaining over cost. Granted, this doesn't take into account OTA HD viewing, Blu-ray watching or HD streaming, but we'd certainly love to have that information in future studies.

Nielsen reports: 23% of US households have an HDTV

by Darren Murph posted Dec 11th 2008 at 11:29AM


Ruh roh, we've got some conflicting evidence to deal with. Just last month, the Leichtman Research Group reported that some 34% of American households were HDTV-equipped, and now the highly respected Nielsen has stepped forward with a figure much, much lower. In fact, its latest numbers show that just 23.3% of all US homes have an HDTV, noting that it has more than doubled since a 10% penetration rating was found in July 2007. As for specific regions, the nation's capital was found to be most aware, with 31.1% of homes having a high-def set. Following DC were Boston and New York at 30.5% and 30.2%, respectively, while Detroit had the lowest percentage for a major market at 20.9%. Hmm... who to believe?

[Via AdWeek]

Sony's BD-Live network closes in on one million visits

by Darren Murph posted Dec 7th 2008 at 11:55AM


We're not so sure if this proves folks are interested or disinterested in Blu-ray-based interactivity, but Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is suggesting its the former. According to the Sony VP of new business development Rich Marty, the studio's BD-Live network is just about to reach one million visits worldwide since launching Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story back in April. At first glance, it's easy to assume that one million hits is a lot, but without a real benchmark to go by, it's hard to accurately judge the impressiveness of the milestone. At any rate, we're glad to see that BD-Live isn't being implemented in vain, and we have all ideas the interactive chat with The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan will likely set the all all-time record for simultaneous BD-Live logins. Speaking of, will you be there?

BDA gives European update: Blu-ray lookin' good across the pond

by Darren Murph posted Nov 26th 2008 at 5:50PM


Despite the general lameness of the economy at large, Blu-ray seems to be faring at least decently well overseas. We already heard that Blu-ray Disc sales were up 396% in the UK year-to-date, and we're getting even more positive vibes from a BDA European Promotions Group seminar held in Amsterdam this month. According to Frank Simonis, chairman of the aforesaid group, [Blu-ray] is "experiencing strong and solid growth in every national territory [in Europe]," even with the economic situation taken into consideration. Also in attendance was FutureSource Consulting's Jim Bottoms, who boldly predicted that "in Europe, by 2012, about one-quarter of homes will have a standalone Blu-ray Disc player." 'Course, that's just wild speculation at this point, but at least we've a target to look back on and see just how accurate this fellow was / wasn't. [Warning: PDF read link]

Global TV shipments up 6% year-over-year to 53 million units

by Darren Murph posted Nov 26th 2008 at 8:46AM


Open wide -- it's time for your latest dose of DisplaySearch numbers! The latest figures from the research firm have found that global TV shipments are up (imagine that, right?) 6% year-over-year and 11% from Q2 to Q3 2008. In fact, over 53 million units were shipped, though it's hard to say how many are still collecting dust in warehouses given the downturn in consumer spending. As predicted, the research points out that Q4 isn't likely to be nearly as rosy, but if we're sticking to last quarter, you should know that China had the largest quarterly gain at 15%, while North American shipments rose 12% year-over-year. We've spoon fed you the highlights, and per usual, we'll leave the nitty-gritty to the number crunchers in attendance.

[Via Digital Home, image courtesy of ZoneaUnlimted]

DVD sales also feeling the pinch, down 4% on the year

by Darren Murph posted Nov 21st 2008 at 3:54PM


Coming at you straight from Shockville is this tidbit: a report claiming that DVD sales are also hitting the skids, along with practically everything in the world save for milk, bread and diamond-clad cellphones. In fact, DVD sales on the whole are down 4% for the year, with the biggest drop occurring in October; it's also noted that Blu-ray sales, according to Warner, will "miss sales projections for the year by 25%." Interestingly, we're told that the slumping economy isn't the only aspect to blame, as media companies are purportedly "dumping more obscure titles on the market, leading to downward pricing pressure," according to Distribution Video and Audio. Of course, we're also informed that digital downloads could be cutting into sales, but even during the down times, the DVD business is still outperforming a whole gaggle of other sectors. Don't cry so soon, DVD, as Black Friday is still to come.

[Image courtesy of Komodo-Sam]

Singulus CEO predicts Blu-ray machine delivery peak in 5 to 6 years

by Darren Murph posted Nov 10th 2008 at 1:37PM


Sony's Rick Clancy spared no mercy when bashing claims that Blu-ray would be old hat within five years, but now we're seeing yet another bigwig predict a similar fate. Singulus, a German company responsible for pumping out Blu-ray duplicators and the like, has recently spoken up via its CEO to suggest that Blu-ray will peak (in terms of delivery of Blu-ray machines) within five to six years. Additionally, CEO Stefan Baustert suggested that the BD market will grow somewhat in 2009, and he boldly predicted that 50% of US households will own a Blu-ray player within two years; of note, he said the same level of penetration wouldn't occur in Germany before 2011 or 2012. Oh sure, it's not like this guy's a clairvoyant or anything, but we'd suspect he knows his business pretty well.

[Image courtesy of The Master Shake Signal]

Poll: Has "the economy" shaken your HD purchase plans?

by Darren Murph posted Nov 8th 2008 at 12:00PM


With all this talk about how the current economic situation is hindering / helping at-home entertainment sales, we figured we'd pose the question to our dear readers. Are you currently feeling the squeeze? So much so that you're scaling back your HD-related purchases? With Black Friday just around the bend, we know it'll be mighty hard to keep the plastic holstered, so we're eager to see if you'll be taking advantage of the downturn to snag a good deal or sitting pretty on the sidelines waiting for brighter days.

[Image courtesy of GreenLantern]

Has "the economy" shaken your HD purchase plans?

Plexifilm postpones Wilco Blu-ray release after band discourages fans from purchasing

by Darren Murph posted Nov 3rd 2008 at 9:14AM


Um, wow? Here's one right out of left field. As the story goes, Plexifilm was intent on re-releasing a 2002 documentary of the band Wilco titled "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" on Blu-ray Disc. After getting wind of this pretty late in the game, Wilco decided to e-mail its fans with new tour dates and to discourage them from buying the BD version. Why? According to the band, the Blu-ray version costs nearly twice as much as the DVD, and given that it was originally shot in "grainy, 16mm black and white," the band doubted the value for this particular project. Additionally, the band never heard that the audio was being remastered, which obviously contributed to their feelings on the matter. Plexifilm has made clear that it's postponing the release until it can "show the band the differences between the HD and standard-definition versions."

[Via LA Times, thanks Anthony]




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