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Brits are HD TV numpties

Low-res thinking

So you are a reghardware reader and you already know that for high definition TV viewing, you need watch your content through a bolt-on hi-def set top box, Blu-ray player or PS3 console.

But what about the population at large? More than six million Brits think they are already watching High-definition television - but are not connected to the right set top boxes or Blu-ray disc players. In other words they are able to watch only standard definition content on their expensive HD-ready TVs

This is the headline finding of a survey of 9,500 people commissioned by the British Video Association, which found that more than 55 per cent of British households had bought HD-ready TVs "without seemingly having appreciated the experience high definition screens are meant to deliver".

How does the BVA, a trade body that represents content owners, arrive at 6.5 million HD numpties? It extrapolates this from its study which revealed that 28 per cent of people "think they can watch movies in high definition with a DVD player when actually a Blu-ray player or a high definition set-top box is needed to do so, and a further 27 per cent believe that an HDTV shows everything in high definition".

The UK is not swimming in high-def content on free-to-watch TV channels: according to the Daily Mail, three HD channels are currently available to Freesat viewers, three for Freeview viewers, while 41 are available for paying Sky Digital customers and 12 via Virgin Media. Most HD-channel viewers today, clueless or not, will have HD-set boxes supplied by their TV provider.

But the World Cup in June is expected to boost sales of HD-Ready TVs. The message from the trade is: buy a cheap Blu-ray player at the same time, to get the best picture quality.

BVA press release: Choose the right kit for the World Cup

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