TV companies aim to demystify HDTV
By Michelle Kessler USA Today

SAN FRANCISCO — Consumers are so confused by high-definition televisions that TV companies are launching education programs to explain them.

Perplexed TV purchasers often will hook up an HDTV incorrectly, then return it to a store as defective, says Rich Dinsmore, an executive with RCA Television's parent company, TCL-Thomson Electronics.

That may be one reason why HDTV sales, while solid, haven't grown faster. About one in three new sets are HD, says the Consumer Electronics Association. About 11 million will be sold in 2006, the group says.

TV makers and other high-definition providers are convinced that a little education will change that:

• Sony has spent the past three months hosting 4,800 "HD Test Drive" events in retail stores, including Circuit City, Best Buy and Sears. Sony representatives have demonstrated HD technology more than 136,000 times, the company says. website www.sony-testdrive.com, features tutorials and prizes such as concert tickets and free TVs.

• Panasonic is fielding questions at 888-777-7134 during daytime hours. The line, known as the "Plasma Concierge," usually offers help to Panasonic plasma owners only. But the company opened it to anyone through December. The line has been such a hit that the company is extending the offer into 2007, says Rudy Vidal, customer service director.

• Comcast, which sells HD cable services, is running explanatory commercials on ESPN and Fox. In September, it ran short explanatory documentaries on the Starz channel. RCA next year will begin putting expanded information about HD on the outside of its TV boxes. And Motorola and many other companies offer online tutorials. The Consumer Electronics Association, an industry trade group, launched its own in November at www.myceknowhow.com.

High-definition sets, called HDTVs, have more lines of resolution on their screens than standard sets. That means they typically have a much clearer picture.

It sounds simple. But many consumers don't realize that to take advantage of an HD set, they must also have access to movies or TV shows that were recorded in high-definition. Standard programming can actually look worse on an HD set.

One in four HDTV owners is still watching regular programming and doesn't know it, says Bruce Leichtman, head of the Leichtman Research Group.

Shoppers may also not know that digital sets are not necessarily HD. Digital refers to the way the TV signal is processed, not the quality of resolution. And it can be confusing that different styles of sets have different screen types. Many flat-panel TVs have HD screens — but not all of them do, for example.

Still, says Sony Vice President Randy Waynick, once you show consumers the benefits of HD, "It's hard for them to go back."

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