Even the economy can't keep HDTV sales down, according to iSuppli's research. In lieu of travel and going out, we're buying bigger TVs to stay home and watch, with sales of flat panel displays in the $600 - $999 range rising the fastest, while Wal-mart is very close to catching Best Buy in marketshare. Samsung's plasma sales kept it narrowly in the overall lead over upstart (and new LCD champ) Vizio, but we'll have to wait and see how long that lasts.

[Via Yahoo Tech]

Lookie here, more of the same. With the current economic situation encouraging citizens to rethink their credit card-abusing habits, a Verizon-commissioned survey has (unsurprisingly) found that a majority of those polled will be turning to their TVs for low-cost entertainment. Out of the 1,026 adults surveyed, some 57% admitted that they were planning to spend "more time at home turning to their television instead of events outside the home." Naturally, Verizon took this opportunity to showcase just how cost efficient its FiOS TV offerings were in tough times, and if it would bother expanding its footprint to more than a handful of states, we'd probably be stoked about the notion. Instead, we're just bitter and envious.

Seriously, who's not on watch for digital downloads these days? DVDs? Check. Blu-ray Discs? Check. Pay-TV operators? Check. According to new data gathered by Research and Markets, "console-affiliated media portals such as Microsoft's Xbox LIVE and Sony's PlayStation Network will soon become formidable competitors to incumbent pay-TV services." As the report notes, the digital downloads available via these services will eventually become "compelling alternatives to traditional TV programming by providing a more immersive, interactive video experience." Of course, this "research" comes at a time when everyone and their mother are jumping on this bandwagon, but it's still reasonable to assert that most anything providing access to content via the internet has a serious chance to replace traditional pay-TV services. Whether or not that actually happens en masse, however, remains to be seen.

My, my -- no wonder the rest of the world says Americans toil too often and play too little. A recent survey, which was commissioned by Samsung, found that over half (54%) of the football fanatics polled would "most likely purchase a new HDTV for the start of football season if their budget allowed." Moreover, 51% of pigskin fans would "forego a one week vacation and put that money towards an HDTV purchase," which also means that a decent chunk of committed pigskin fans would willingly accept a beating from their SO. Other expected results include: 61% felt that "HDTV is required for a successful football-viewing party, more than surround sound or alcohol," and that 62% of fans believe watching the game in HDTV "allows them to make better calls than the referees in the game." That last one explains a lot about your friend Jim, now doesn't it?

While we doubted ABI Research's assertion set-top-box shipments would peak in just over three short years, new data from the house of CCID Consulting sure helps substantiate that very notion. The outfit has taken a cold, hard look at STB adoption in China, and what it found was that citizens were snapping 'em up this year like never before. The numbers show that sales were up 83.4% for the first three quarters of 2008 compared to the same window a year ago, and a couple of main occurrences were to thank. First off, the drive towards ditching analog signals in favor of digital has increased adoption and awareness, and also, many locals picked up boxes in order to either catch the Beijing Olympics more clearly or in high-definition. The takeaway? If China's already buying in big to set-top-boxes, maybe that 2012 prediction isn't so off base after all.

Despite the general lameness of the economy at large, Blu-ray seems to be faring at least decently well overseas. We already heard that Blu-ray Disc sales were up 396% in the UK year-to-date, and we're getting even more positive vibes from a BDA European Promotions Group seminar held in Amsterdam this month. According to Frank Simonis, chairman of the aforesaid group, [Blu-ray] is "experiencing strong and solid growth in every national territory [in Europe]," even with the economic situation taken into consideration. Also in attendance was FutureSource Consulting's Jim Bottoms, who boldly predicted that "in Europe, by 2012, about one-quarter of homes will have a standalone Blu-ray Disc player." 'Course, that's just wild speculation at this point, but at least we've a target to look back on and see just how accurate this fellow was / wasn't. [Warning: PDF read link]

Open wide -- it's time for your latest dose of DisplaySearch numbers! The latest figures from the research firm have found that global TV shipments are up (imagine that, right?) 6% year-over-year and 11% from Q2 to Q3 2008. In fact, over 53 million units were shipped, though it's hard to say how many are still collecting dust in warehouses given the downturn in consumer spending. As predicted, the research points out that Q4 isn't likely to be nearly as rosy, but if we're sticking to last quarter, you should know that China had the largest quarterly gain at 15%, while North American shipments rose 12% year-over-year. We've spoon fed you the highlights, and per usual, we'll leave the nitty-gritty to the number crunchers in attendance.

[Via Digital Home, image courtesy of ZoneaUnlimted]

Oh, brother. Not this again. Every year it seems that we get wind of a wonky report that explains just how ignorant many first-time HDTV buyers are to HD programming. And in many cases, we'd argue to no fault of their own. The most recent survey from the offices of Frank N. Magid Associates asserts that "among the 12% of US households who purchased a new high-definition television in the past year, 41% still need to arrange for high-definition programming service from a cable or satellite provider." Granted, some of those folks could be perfectly content with pulling in high-def via an OTA antenna (or hooking up a gaming console / Blu-ray player), but that's still a lot of cats and kittens neglecting that sweet, sweet pay-TV goodness. The survey also found that 43% of new HDTV owners "had not looked into HD services from any provider," and that 41% didn't feel that HD services were worth the cost. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: friends don't let friends own an HDTV without any HD content. It's just not right, people.

While the "HD streaming rulez!one11!1!" bandwagon was quickly filling up after Netflix announced that it would be bringing such a service to the Xbox 360, the numbers just don't substantiate the claims that physical discs are doomed anytime soon. Sure, for the budding technophile, streaming is just the next great thing, but for the average joe / jane, the tried and true disc still holds a great deal of importance. A recent study by market research firm SmithGeiger found that out of over 2,000 surveyed, "HDTV owners familiar with Blu-ray favor the format over downloading and streaming by a margin of nearly 10-to-1, with about 70% of respondents citing the fact that there's a physical disc to keep as a key factor in their decision to buy Blu-ray." It also found that 96% of BD users were "familiar with downloading and streaming services, but that two-thirds believe watching a movie on Blu-ray is a better overall entertainment experience." Sure, BD has its flaws, but not having to re-rent an HD film after a remarkably short 24-hour window sure is nice, huh?

[Image courtesy of TechFresh]

The times, they are a-changin'. Back in February, we found that LCD TV shipments had surpassed CRTs for the first time in history. Now, an iSuppli report on HDTV growth has shown that HDTVs overtook standard-definition televisions "as the leading TV shipped globally" in 2008. Sure, the current economic environment may put a damper on HDTV sales for the moment, but the previously mentioned research sees no sign of growth slowing in the long-term. In fact, it forecasts that HDTV unit shipments will surge to 241.2 million by 2012, up from 97.1 million units in 2007; in comparison, it reckons that just 23.1 million SDTVs will ship out in 2012. Oh, and if you're eager for even more smile-worthy news, the report also suggests that HD set-top-boxes will represent 50% of the overall STB market in under four years. Time will tell.

[Via InformationWeek, image courtesy of ThePoolSide]

It's pretty obvious that flat-panel sales have the potential to slow (and that sets could get really, really cheap) in the current economic environment, but a new report from DisplaySearch asserts that the problem may be exacerbated by flat-panel maturity. According to David Barnes, DisplaySearch strategic analysis VP, the "concerns over contracting consumer demand over the near term may grab headlines today, but slower growth may be a long-term trend in the flat-panel market." In fact, it's expected that 4 out of 5 TVs in 2011 will use flat-panel technologies, meaning that this double-digit yearly growth we've grown accustomed to could be coming to an end. Of course, techs like OLED, SED (ahem) and holograms are just around the corner -- and be honest, who wouldn't trade in their KURO for a floating 1080p image with perfect contrast?

[Via TWICE]

You know how this game works by now -- someone says one thing, someone else says another. After hearing the Blu-ray Disc Association assert that Blu-ray wares would be flying off of store shelves this holiday season, in steps technology analyst Roger Kay to say otherwise. In fact, he predicts a "dramatic" drop in Blu-ray sales for Q4 and beyond, suggesting that consumers will choose to hold tight to their hard-earned dollars rather than spend it on a format that's still noticeably more expensive than DVD. As if that weren't enough, he also insinuated that the push back in adoption could allow "other forms of video over cable, satellite and the internet to shut the window of opportunity for Blu-ray." Of course, we've heard this whole physical media versus digital downloads debate before, but we don't exactly see a poor sales season (if there is one) as being enough to catapult digital downloads in front of BD. Regardless, we'll be anxious to see the numbers in early 2009, but for now, it certainly provides interesting fodder for discussion.

[Image courtesy of Syracuse]

You know those situations where everyone knows something yet no one is courageous enough to just blurt out the obvious? Pardon us, but yes, people do actually use their DVRs to skip commercials. In case our word isn't good enough for you, research firm Oliver Wyman has just completed a study which found that 85% of the 1,000 global participants used their DVR to skip at least three-quarters of all commercials. Furthermore, most viewers stated that they would not be willing to "watch advertising even when it underwrites free content," and they wouldn't want to pay extra (in addition to the DVR cost, we presume) to remove ads. Really though, we ad skippers are simply keeping those lucrative media marketing firms on their toes, and trust us, they have / will continue to find ways to circumvent our circumvention. Full release after the jump.

Gettin' antsy, are we Sony? Barely a month after the Entertainment Merchants Association pumped out a report suggesting that Blu-ray Disc sales could exceed that of DVDs by 2012, along comes a bullish Sony VP from the Asia-Pacific region to state otherwise. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's Tim Meade has asserted that the "sales volume of BD movie discs may surpass that of DVDs in 2011," following market reports in the US that indicate that the "global sales ratio of Blu-ray movie discs to DVDs will rise to an estimated 40:60 in 2010." Can't knock a guy for being hopeful, right?

Let's start off the week with an article on Slate about why both Blu-ray and HD DVD are already dead: Downloads, hard drives, and the cost of equipment make up a few reasons why some are saying next-gen DVD is already done before it's even gone mainstream. We're not so sure though, and here are some counterpoints to the article:

• The Internet: Alright, so you can already download movies and HD content online. But it takes forever (think 30 to 50 gigs, or more layers aplenty), and is usually bundled with more annoying DRM than AACS provides. Want to move it between devices? Sorry. Want to play it eight, or ten, or 100 days after you bought it? Perhaps not.
• On Demand: The studios would love it if everything you consumed was on-demand. Then you'd never own anything, and they could control when and where you watch it. Oh, but what about in your car on a road trip, or on the train in your video player? And there are plenty of consumers -- count us in on that! -- who like owning physical media, being able to look at album art and boxes and liner notes. Even if distribution is figured out, there's something about having a physical copy of your content that's reassuring.
  
• Equipment: We can see the argument against buying yet another piece of hardware that may or may not work out of the box, or have firmware issues, or upscale your standard-def media well, but with existing DVD players at less than $50, and next-gen players sure to hit that mark eventually, it's not exactly preventing anyone from buying in the long run. Media should similarly drop as time goes by, with Blu-ray and HD DVD discs selling for minor margins above standard DVDs. Finally, people are paying thousands for PS3s and Wiis these days, why not pay $199 for an HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360?
  
• Hard Drives: Sure, hard drives are cheap and hold a lot of data, but with dual-layer discs holding 30 to 50 gigs, and up to 100 or more planned, they aren't exactly slacking. Also, discs are more portable, and more resistant to drops and shocks.

So, what does everyone else think? Is the next-gen media done before its time? Or is it ahead of its time? Will media stick around for a while longer, or are you ready for the on-demand, downloadable-only future?

[ Via Slashdot ]