A report from Frank Magid Associates states 53% of consumers are buying HDTVs for video games and DVD playback. Last year, 63% of consumers were buying HDTVs for high definition TV shows, the percentage has now dropped to 47%. Consumers are having trouble with HD subscription with their cable providers and feel that there just aren’t enough high definition TV shows out there, which is true. As a Comcast customer, I get about 10 channels in high definition, and a few of those are HBO and Starz, not standard programming. Consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are high definition ready right out of the box.
At this point, consumers can choose between high definition and standard definition without losing much. I feel that in the next year, once HD DVD and/or Blu-Ray fully enter the market, it may force studios to slowly stop releasing DVDs altogether, forcing users to buy a HDTV. Of course, that all depends on how successful HD DVD and Blu-Ray are, but I really see the market pushing towards HD, mainly because if forces consumers to buy new products. We’re already starting to see this with video game consoles&mdash if you don’t have a HDTV, you’re really not getting the experience you could be getting out of your game. Only time will tell, we’ll keep you posted.
Forget HDTV, We Want HD Gaming [joystiq]