Canadians like HDTV, even if most don’t know much about it
Mar 18, 2008 8:27 AM
Canadians are buying HDTVs like never before, but don’t yet consider themselves to be knowledgeable about HD and the features of their sets, according to a poll commissioned by Sharp Electronics of Canada and conducted by Nanos Research.
Forty-eight percent of Canadians said they were not at all knowledgeable about features such as 1080p resolution and pixel response times, compared to only 5 percent who considered themselves very knowledgeable, the survey found. The poll also found the knowledge gap persists despite a truly healthy market for flat-panel televisions.
Overall, the Canadian market grew by 72 percent last year, with sales of LCD TV growing by 84.4 percent. For 2008, projected sales figures from the Consumer Electronics Marketers of Canada (CEMC) indicate a market demand of 2.75 million units.
While the intricacies of the technology may still appear opaque to most, Canadians are clear about one thing: When shopping for consumer electronics, environmental sustainability matters. Forty-eight percent of Canadians polled also rated concerns such as power consumption and toxins used in manufacturing as very important when considering which HDTV they will purchase.
The poll found Canadians have a basic understanding of the differences between flat-screen technologies and that 53 percent prefer LCD to plasma screens, but few Canadians feel themselves to be truly knowledgeable about the technology.
Women are especially unaware of HDTV features. Almost 60 percent said they were not at all knowledgeable about the latest advancements, compared to fewer than 40 percent of men polled across the country. The jargon-laden language of tech reports may be an issue, with 29 percent of Canadians getting their information about new models from TV ads and programs, compared to only 20 percent from print media and 16 percent from blogs and product Web sites.
One thousand Canadians in Ontario, Quebec, the West and Atlantic regions were surveyed. Results are accurate within 3.1 percent.
For more information, visit www.sharp.ca
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