Down Under: HD Continues to Confuse

According to a recent consumer survey in Australia by Samsung, about a quarter of those polled said they intend to purchase an HD television set in the foreseeable future, and a big chunk of that 25 percent erroneously believe all flatscreen sets and digital TV channels automatically provide HD quality.

Among 1,200 respondents, overall, more than 50 percent also believe standard DVD discs now provided HD quality, according to Samsung and The Sydney Morning Herald. The poll also underscored lingering confusion over the difference between broadcast and cable channels, with 54 percent contending that Foxtel Digital (a mostly SD cable-satellite service) delivers nothing but HD content.

Slightly less than half -- 46 percent -- are unaware that only some of the programs they now view on HD sets are, in fact, 1080i or 720p. A majority of Aussies polled think all LCD and plasma units are automatically HD-ready. And among current HD set owners in Australia, about two-thirds -- 63 percent -- do not own HD boxes. Only some of them have antennas.