EDA Geek: Less than a quarter of the world’s population will own a flat panel TV by the end of this year, according to a global survey from market research firm IDC. This paints a bright picture for the industry.
Consumers say high quality video is the main force driving demand for digital TVs. Over half of IDC survey respondents consider high definition (HD) compatibility as an extremely important factor influencing their decision to replace their current TV.
Surprisingly, a majority of respondents say they do not currently subscribe to HD programming.
Pricing is also a significant issue. In fact, TV price concerns towered over all others on the list including display technology, screen size, and even brand. “Cost is critical in my decision,” writes one survey respondent. “I know what I want, but am waiting until the price suits me.” More than 60% of respondents (all who fell into a high income demographic) say they expect to pay less than $2,000 (around 1,500 Euro) on their new TV.
While price points have dropped over the years, they remain somewhat high for a large part of the TV-buying public.
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