Sales of HD televisions are accelerating, but the buyers still aren’t hooking up to services that deliver HD content.
As of December, only half (52 percent) of HDTV owners subscribe to the HD service needed to experience true high-def viewing, according to research conducted by the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM).
Most HD owners aren’t even aware they’re missing out on the advantages that cable HD service provides. Of those with an HDTV but without HD service, CTAM found that 34 percent weren’t aware they needed to subscribe to a programming service when they purchased their HDTV sets. Furthermore, 61 percent of those non-subscribers believe that HD picture quality is the same as a DVD.
CTAM maintains a Web site called This is Cable for public information on HDTV service, DVRs and other products.