Recent Nielsen Ratings

[DanLee]

These unfortunate statistics show, in my mind why many networks have yet to offer any HD broadcasts, not to mention Dish's lack of adding new HD channels recently.
Grim Statistics:
-13% of households are capable of receiving HD channels/content.
-11% actually do

It could be a very long time before we can enjoy HD on every channel.
HDTV Bulletins: Nielsen Releases High Definition TV (HDTV) Household Estimates

 

[goaliebob99]

That statistic is an estimate only and when you look at the numbers as a whole, out of 112 million only 15 million have HDTV's come on the numer is higher than that. According to TV week the CEA said 16 million sets were suppost to be sold this year alone. Bringing the number of sets sold in the us to 52.5 million.

CEA Predicts 16 Mil HDTV Sets Sold in 2007 - TVWeek - News

I think the numbers provided by Nelson are skewed

 

[DanLee]

how many of those people will get hd programming/ota antenna to go along w/it?

 

[Muckrak3r]

whatever the real #'s are - the fact is, the U.S. has always been slow to adopt new technology. don't they have 1080p broadcasts in Japan already????

that is why the government had to enact legislation REQUIRING HD......

my grandma is 76, has a Dish 622 and a huge 1080p pioneer tv, unreal setup for an old lady! but out of all of her friends, NONE of them have HD, and don't care to get it.

 

[NightRyder]

whatever the real #'s are - the fact is, the U.S. has always been slow to adopt new technology. don't they have 1080p broadcasts in Japan already????

that is why the government had to enact legislation REQUIRING HD......

my grandma is 76, has a Dish 622 and a huge 1080p pioneer tv, unreal setup for an old lady! but out of all of her friends, NONE of them have HD, and don't care to get it.

There is no such legislation. The government mandated broadcasters convert from analog to digital, digital doesn't mean HD.

NightRyder

 

[Muckrak3r]

There is no such legislation. The government mandated broadcasters convert from analog to digital, digital doesn't mean HD.

NightRyder

you are right, and that is what I meant. my point is, the government has to require digital signal acceptance on the user end, because there are so many freaking people out there still on rabbit ears.....

 

[jrp]

-13% of households are capable of receiving HD channels/content.
-11% actually do

I would think that this 11-13% would be a prime demographic for advertisers, making HD programming attractive for reaching those people.

 

[CubsWin]

my grandma is 76, has a Dish 622 and a huge 1080p pioneer tv, unreal setup for an old lady! but out of all of her friends, NONE of them have HD, and don't care to get it.

No offense to your grandma, but at age 76 the picture is probably being down-resed by her eyes!

 

[drummerguy]

There's controversy over those Nielson numbers, because they don't match up with the Consumer Electronic Association's numbers:

Broadcasting & Cable Print Page

Edit: Gee, I really should read all the subsequent posts carefully, because I just made the same point Bob did.

 

[HDdreamer]

how many of those people will get hd programming/ota antenna to go along w/it?

It appears that is the key. From the article drummerguy posted:

Nielsen found that only 13.7% of TV households in the United States -- or roughly 15.5 million out of 112.8 million total U.S. TV households -- are equipped with HD televisions and HD tuners capable of receiving HDTV signals, a status Nielsen described as “HD Capable.”

The CEA is saying:

The CEA put the total number of HDTV sets sold by year-end 2006 at 39.9 million

So it seems to me that both might be accurate. There might actually be that many millions of HDTV sets NOT connected to HD programming.

Heck, my own mother-in-law has a gorgeous 60 inch HDTV connected to an SD DirecTV receiver.
I've told her many times to upgrade to an HD receiver and she says "oh, I don't really care it looks fine to me". It makes me want to puke when I am over there and they are TNT "strech-o-visioning" everything. I changed the aspect to 4:3 and everyone was like "hey, I don't like those black bars on the sides, put it back".

Sigh.

 

[DanLee]

It appears that is the key. From the article drummerguy posted:


The CEA is saying:


So it seems to me that both might be accurate. There might actually be that many millions of HDTV sets NOT connected to HD programming.

Heck, my own mother-in-law has a gorgeous 60 inch HDTV connected to an SD DirecTV receiver.
I've told her many times to upgrade to an HD receiver and she says "oh, I don't really care it looks fine to me". It makes me want to puke when I am over there and they are TNT "strech-o-visioning" everything. I changed the aspect to 4:3 and everyone was like "hey, I don't like those black bars on the sides, put it back".

Sigh.

Keep fighting the good fight!!!