Arlington, Va., – Factory sales of digital television (DTV) products rose 81 percent in unit sales and 66 percent in dollar sales during July, compared to the same period a year ago, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
Approximately 213,159 DTV products were sold to dealers in the month, and the average price was $1,733. The total factory dollar volume for the period was $369,311,697, CEA said.
The industry association defines DTV products as integrated sets and monitors displaying active vertical scanning lines of at least 480p and, in the case of integrated sets, receiving and decoding ATSC terrestrial digital transmissions.
CEA reported factory sales of DTV set-top boxes for the first seven months of the year totaled 44,291 units and $20,152,689. The average set-top box price was $455. Comparatively, set-top box unit sales during the same period in 2001 totaled 79,101 units.
‘What we see in the set-top box market is sustained sales evidence that Americans are waiting for more compelling high-definition content,’ said Gary Shapiro, CEA president. ‘Additionally, consumers want to view that content in the same manner in which they are accustomed to viewing analog programming. For the majority of American consumers, that means through cable. We urgently need digital cable and DTV equipment compatibility to see this transition skyrocket.’
