Apparently, not everyone is on the same HDTV page

Great tirade by my friend and Marketnews editor Christine Persaud on her blog about the stumbling blocks that customers face in trying to get the straight goods on HDTV.

Marketnews - Gadget Talk: The Uninformed Person's Guide to Getting HDTV (Apparently, We Still Need This!)

A Canadian industry member recently told me that retailers are experiencing an increase in the returns of HDTVs. This reportedly isn't because flat-panel displays aren't up to snuff, or content isn't available: in fact, HDTVs are looking the best they ever have, and there's more HD content available than ever! The problem is that apparently, the average consumer stilldoesn't understand how to get HD content. Are you for real? I had to ask. Unfortunately, he was. Consumers, he said, are disappointed with the image quality when they plug in their units, and frustrated when they find out they aren't instantly getting HD.

This has been an issue for some time. I remember reading in the NYT about three years ago where a reporter had stood outside of Manhattan electronics retailers and quizzed customers who had bought a TV. A shocking majority thought that all they had to do was plug in in when they got home, and presto, instant Hi Def.

Call me a rebel, but I've always believed that salespeople need to forge lasting relationships with people if they want to be truly successful. You need clients, not just customers. Part of the relationship building process is to do your job, and educate your client. Informed clients make better purchasing decisions, and become repeat buyers. It's hard to feel sorry for retailers who suffer a high return rate because they didn't manage people's understanding and expectations properly.

At the same time, it's not just retailers who are letting customers down. The broadcasters share a responsibility for not providing enough HDTV content.

I've been ranting for years that HD is often format without content. I'm not alone, Mark Cuban, billionare, loudmouth, and owner of HDNet feels the same way:

Blog Maverick: Lots of HDTV Channels, but No HD ?

If a network calls itself an HD Network, does that make it an HD Network ? Or should the network be required to actually have content that is of high definition resolution ? And if they have HD Resolution content, how much should they actually have before they can call themselves HD ?
In the coming months cable, telco and satellite providers are gearing for a marketing battle over who has the most HD channels. Ads will be everywhere touting big name networks finally bringing HD versions to the masses.
Unfortunately for consumers, the schedules of many, if not most of those new channels will have less than 10pct of their content actually produced using HD cameras and shown at HD resolution. Few will have more than 3 hours a day of HD resolution content.
I think a lot of consumers are going to be very, very disappointed.

He's right. Minimal HD content, or worse, content upconverted from lo res, has been the rule since day one. True HD, stuff that was shot, mastered, and broadcast in HD is stunning. Unfortunately, there still isn't enough of it. You don't have to be a highly attuned videophile to see the difference either. And when TV's are sold by showing great HD demo loops, you can understand the buyer's remorse when that's not what they get at home.

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