Dave's Download

Nearly Half of HDTV Owners Aren't Watching HDTV

By

January 26, 2009 RSS Feed Print
  • Comment (4)

Related Articles

A lot of baffled HDTV owners: About 44 percent, or nearly half, of the HDTV owners aren't watching HDTV.

Seems amazing, doesn't it? That is, of more than 39 million U.S. homes with installed HD sets, only about 22 million of them are getting high-def programming, says Mike Paxton at In-Stat.

Maybe a few of them choose not to pay for the HD channels from cable or satellite. They could at least attach a cheap antenna and get free high-def broadcasts. But most are just confused. I know because I routinely help friends and neighbors find HDTV, which is located on different cable or broadcast channels from the SD content they've been watching.

To make things worse, standard TV usually looks worse on an HDTV. That's a lot of disappointed viewers.

Tags:
technology,
television

Reader Comments Read all comments (4)

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

My dad was paying for hd programs but his cable carrier never turned them on and he never knew he was paying for them till he bought a hd tv and couldn't rercieve them till he called the cable co. and they told him they were never turned on so he's still paying the same fee but has a must crisper picture.

ned of CT 4:13PM December 04, 2011

WJS,

You should also know that, at this point, Dish Network is the only cable/satellite provider I know of that has an HD-only package (TurboHD) available. DirecTV requires an add-on of $9.99/month for HDTV. Comcast, the cable provider in my area of Illinois, does the same. Of course, as Scott pointed out, you still need an equipment upgrade.

Rob Dunbar of IL 7:49PM January 27, 2009

WJS - I'm sorry that you didn't have a salesperson that would explain the critical details of owning an HDTV or that you didn't learn that via your own research. You obviously aren't alone. Still other users surely do upgrade their equipment appropriately (cable or satellite box) but do not realize they have to use a certain type of cables to get an HD signal out of those receivers.

Not only do you probably need new hardware to view HD if you aren't simply using an antenna, the TVs are typically larger, which exposes the poor picture quality of an SD signal. It's not so much that HDTVs themselves make SD look bad, it's that a larger TV makes an inferior signal look much worse once it is "blown up". It's much the same as viewing an old 800x600 digital picture blown up on a large computer monitor - you see pixelation when the picture is magnified.

I've had HD for almost 7 years, and we now have 3 HDTV in our home. We virtually never watch any programming that is NOT in HD any more. The favorites list on our DirecTV receivers don't even contain any non-HD channels. And my wife who is by no means a techie even refuses to watch SD programming any more, even though at first she "couldn't tell the difference".

Just like anything, technology comes with requirements. When you bought your first digital camera, all the sudden you needed more hard drive space and a backup mechanism. Was that a "bat and switch" tactic by the computer companies to sell you new hardware? No, it was just a "side-effect" of adopting to new technology. There are many similar examples with computer technology.

I wish more people would do their homework before making the leap to HDTV, and I certainly wish the salesmen did a better job at educating their customers. Be thankful there are so many options today and so much HD programming. Back when I got my first HDTV, if I saw one or two HD programs a week, I was ecstatic. The quality of HD cannot even be compare to SD - and in MY opinion it is worth every penny.

Hopefully those that "don't know any better" soon learn what they are missing...

Scott of MN 10:38PM January 26, 2009

Dave's Download

Our in-house gadget guru, Senior Writer David LaGesse, checks out the latest technologies and gizmos, from computer software to GPS systems -- and reports back to you in plain English.

advertisement

advertisement

Editor's Picks

Investing Money»
10 Books Investors Should Read

Here is a list of timeless big-picture investing books that explain things like the relationship of skill to luck, the power of large numbers, and the nature of risk.

Personal Finance»
50 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2013
Closeup of a street speed limit sign saying '50', on an angle.
Your Retirement»
Best Places to Retire for Under $40,000

Low housing costs coupled with the amenities retirees need make these cities great places to retire on an income of less than $40,000 per year.

Your Career»
The 100 Best Jobs for 2013
Find an online degree
Investing Money»
Best Mutual Funds
Best ETFs

Research thousands of mutual funds and ETFs to find the right investment for you.