In a new report whose findings some regular industry observers might find a bit anti-climatic, Nielsen has waited until now to conclude that, “Not since the introduction of color television more than half-a-century ago has another innovation done as much to enrich the visual quality of television as High Definition (HD) TV.”
Nielsen cites data that has been cited by other sources lately, as well. Namely, that about a third of U.S. TV homes have at least one HD set—although a lot of HD homes do not, in fact, actually watch HD content on their new sets either unknowingly or intentionally. As of February, Nielsen said, just fewer than 29 percent of U.S. TV dwellings were technically capable of receiving HD content.
“There are a number of reasons that may explain this difference,” said the rating firm. “One reason is that consumers may often confuse content they view on an HD set as HD programming. Not recognizing the need to upgrade their cable or satellite subscription to receive HD content, many consumers buy HD sets and connect them to their current (non-HD) set top boxes, believing that what they are watching is in HD when, in fact, it is not.”
In other words, it seems ignorance really is bliss.
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