Arlington, Va. – Three-fourths (73 percent) of online U.S. adults who see Ultra HD TV technology in a retail store are interested in owning the technology at some point in the future, according to new research from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), while only 34 percent of people who did not see the technology are interested in ownership.
Ultra HD delivers four times the resolution of today’s FullHD TVs, with more than 8 million pixels of resolution.
Two studies, “Consumer Perspective on Ultra HDTV” (quantitative) and “Consumer Perceptions of Ultra HDTV Technology at Retail” (qualitative), were conducted to gauge consumer awareness, perception, interest and purchase intent for Ultra HD TV technology.
Seeing the technology in a retail store also influences consumers’ perception of the technology, according to CEA’s quantitative study.
Among those who have seen or heard about Ultra HD in a retail store, 73 percent view the technology as positive, compared with 45 percent who did not see or hear about the technology in a store.
CEA’s qualitative study supports the notion that seeing Ultra HD technology in person is critical for consumers to understand its benefits. In the study, consumers visited retail stores to experience Ultra HD TVs in person and then shared their experience.
Many said they went into the stores skeptical that Ultra HD TVs would be better than their current HDTVs; however, seeing the technology in person had a significantly positive impact on their opinions, an impact that could not have been achieved through reading a description of the technology alone, CEA said.
“Ultra HD TV consumer adoption will be a case of ‘seeing is believing,’ ” said Rhonda Daniel, CEA market research senior manager. “The technology offers an incredibly immersive viewing experience with superior picture quality. Experiencing the technology in person is a critical component to drive consumer interest in adopting Ultra HD as their next television.”
Beyond looking to replace broken or obsolete TV sets, key findings of the study include:
• two in five will seek to improve the picture quality (43 percent);
• a similar number will seek to increase the screen size (42 percent) of their current display; and
• three in five (62 percent) would be more than willing to purchase an Ultra HD TV if the picture quality was so clear that it felt like they were experiencing what they were watching in person or if the picture quality was better than a movie screen.
Conversely, price and availability of Ultra HD content are the top concerns regarding future Ultra HD TV purchases:
• 43 percent (two in five) online U.S. adults cited concerns with the availability of Ultra HD television programming;
• 24 percent cited availability of Ultra HD movies for purchase;
• 21 percent cited availability of movies for rent; and
• 22 percent cited the availability of Ultra HD video content through streaming service providers.
Research recently conducted by DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, demonstrates the potential for up-converting Blu-ray Disc content to enhance the overall Ultra HD viewing experience.
According to the DEG data, the advantages of watching Blu-ray movies on an Ultra HD TV are quite clear. Respondents were almost four times more likely to prefer watching Blu-ray movies on an Ultra HD TV vs. conventional (1080p) televisions.
“Ultra HD TV holds a tremendous amount of promise for the video ecosystem,” said Daniel. “As prices gradually align with consumer expectations, consumer awareness grows and the availability of content continues the positive momentum it has seen so far, then Ultra HD will be the next step forward in the logical progression of television displays.”
Ultra HD stood as one of the highlights of the 2014 International CES, as a multitude of Ultra HD product and content announcements came from Amazon, Dish, LG, Netflix, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp and Sony, among others.
CEA now forecasts Ultra HD TV unit shipments will increase eight-fold in 2014 to reach 485,000 units, and surpass $1 billion in revenue for the first time this year, according to CEA’s semi-annual “U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecast” report.
CEA’s “Consumer Perspective on Ultra HDTV” presents the findings of a quantitative Internet survey conducted among an online national sample of 1,062 U.S. adults.
“Consumer Perceptions of Ultra HDTV Technology at Retail” is a qualitative research report including the findings from 21 consumer in-store visits, followed by recorded, in-depth interviews. The reports were designed and formulated by CEA Market Research.
The complete studies are available free to CEA member companies at Members.CE.org, while non-members may purchase the report at Store.CE.org.
