Analysts: HDTV adoption rate doubled in past year

A new Nielsen study unveiled that the high-definition TV adoption rate in the United States has drastically increased over the past 18 months.  According to the research firm, 23.2 percent, or 26 million households, in the United States now have at least one HDTV. 

HDTV penetration rates are highest in Washington D.C., Boston and New York City, as sporting events, especially the NFL and NBA, remain the most popular HDTV programs.  It’s not entirely surprising as ESPN was the first major channel to have an HDTV channel, and sports were the only things broadcasted in HD when the technology first became available.

The higher adoption rate is due to the lowering price of HDTVs, with analysts expecting adoption rates to continue to rise in the future.  There also are numerous ways for consumers to get both regular format and HD content directly to their TVs, using multiple streaming services. 

Netflix subscribers can receive content through Roku or the Microsoft Xbox 360 game console, and on select Blu-ray players.  Apple TV also providers users with the ability to download popular movies and TV episodes that can be played on their TV.

Once movie studios figure out how they wish their content to be streamed into the living room, expect even more consumers to begin purchasing HDTVs, analysts predict.

Last year, 14 percent of households in the U.S. had at least one HDTV, though only 20 percent of them didn’t watch HD content.  There still is a large amount of HDTV owners who don’t watch HD content on their TVs, but the number is falling as TV content providers lower the cost of HD  TV and movie packages.