78% of consumers want HDTV, but most are confused: survey

San Diego (CA) - A new survey commissioned by Hitachi shows that 78% of consumers say their next TV will be an HDTV, but two thirds say they don’t know what the difference between the different models available.

The HDTV market is riddled with plasma vs. LCD, DLP vs. flat panel, and 720p vs. 1080p. According to the Hitachi survey, around 67% of consumers would not be able to explain the differences between these technologies.

That’s not stopping them from being interested in a hi-def set, though. 85% of consumers making a household income of over $35,000 said they are interested in HDTV, with that number at 70% for households making less than $35,000.

The survey showed that men were somewhat more knowledgeable about different HDTV options. 73% of women said they were confused by the various technologies, compared to 51% of the surveyed men.

60% said picture quality is the more important factor in buying a new TV. 11% said it was the brand of the TV, and 9% are most concerned with screen size.