Amazon.com has launched a dedicated HD micro site designed to explain and sell high definition TV and related products to less tech-savvy consumers.
The interactive micro site, called Amazon High-Def 101, serves as comprehensive knowledge base for HDTV and home theater, while also presenting the e-tailer’s extensive assortment of HDTVs, movie players, game systems, PC options, accessories and movies.
Educational features include a library of articles, frequently asked questions and educational videos aimed at helping the average shopper configure their HD home entertainment experience. The site also offers a dictionary of HD terminology that explains commonly used phrases and abbreviations, and serves as a forum for a community of home theater professionals who post weekly blog entries and participate in online discussions to help answer customer questions and provide direction.
“There are few resources today where the public can find simple and concise information about high definition,” said Peter Faricy, movies and music VP at Amazon.com. “Our goal with the Amazon High-Def 101 customer knowledge center is to provide our customers with centralized, easy to-understand information that will help demystify high-definition entertainment.”
Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video, welcomed Amazon’s “aggressive efforts to educate the consumer.”
“This holiday season is critical for high definition,” he said, “and as an industry we need to place the focus on helping consumers understand the extraordinary benefits of HD media and how to get the most value out of their home entertainment investments.”
The high degree of category confusion was underscored by a recent Best Buy survey which indicated that 41 percent of HDTV owners understand “little to nothing at all” about high definition or what is required to experience it fully. Best Buy responded to the findings by creating its own Web-based educational campaign called “HD Done Right.”
Amazon’s HD microsite is located at www.amazon.com/hd101.
