Consumers are still confused about high-definition TV
According to the latest research from LG, 80 per cent of people in Britain are confused over TV terminology such as HD-ready and Full HD, and 25 per cent still do not know what high definition is.
Many still think that owning a TV with an HD-ready logo instantly makes all programmes high definition. The research highlights that consumers are suffering from information overload and struggling to keep up with the latest technology and jargon.
A recent Ofcom report also points to added consumer confusion as a result of incorrect information from retailers. One of the common misconceptions is that HD TV is currently available on Freeview.
George Mead, marketing manager for LG Electronics digital display, says: "The HD industry is booming, and with new products being launched more regularly and content becoming widely available, consumer choice has never been greater.
"It's key for us to translate this growth into relevant and tangible consumer experiences and the only way this will succeed is through education and by keeping the technical jargon simple and clear."
Other key findings of the LG study are:
* Yorkshire and Humberside have the lowest understanding of what HD is with 30 per cent of people surveyed believing that owning a TV with an HD Ready logo or a digital box would automatically make all content high definition
* Wales has the highest understanding of HD with 90 per cent knowing how HD content is produced and viewed
* East Anglia has the highest HD adoption rate with 50 per cent of people now owning an HD TV and Scotland has the lowest adoption rate with 73 per cent of people still not owning an HD TV
* After buying an HD TV, over 30 per cent of Londoners thought the reduction in picture quality was due to lighting conditions in the room rather than the lack of HD content running on the screen
* 50 per cent of respondents in Yorkshire and Humberside thought that retailers used specially tuned high definition TVs to provide product demonstrations as the content quality wasn't as good when they got it home - when in fact they were not watching HD content
* 60 per cent of people in Northern Ireland prefer to watch movies in HD
* 25 per cent of passionate Scottish fans watch sports the most in HD
Comments
I am a sales manager for Comet and i make sure all my guys tell customers that to get hd quality they need Sky hd or Freesat we have quite a high acceptance on Sky contracts and freesat has been massive we dont tell customers anything just to make a sale we would rather make no sale rather than the wrong sale!
It's nice to see Yorkshire intelligence ranks up there with Leeds United's footballing ability (more's the pity)
A downhearted Leeds fan
smart people act dumb
welshboy.
87 percent of statistics are invented...
Wales is in the lead in something! How can that be?
Seriously it is worrying that so few salepeople know what they are talking about. It's the likes of Currys and Comet et al who are to blame with poor staff training and the "tell them anything to get the sale" attitude.