US consumers gain interest in TVs featuring 3-D display and Internet connectivity

USA: For years, US consumers have had three simple criteria when buying a television: price, size and picture quality. While those factors remain, American television buyers now are placing increased importance on technology features, including Internet connectivity and 3-D display, according to the Smart TV Consumer Survey conducted by the IHS Screen Digest TV Systems Service.

The IHS Smart TV Consumer Survey, which was completed in June 2012 but reveals insights about current buying trends, polled 658 U.S. television owners over 18 years old.

Among US consumers who planned to purchase a television during the 12-month period following the completion of the survey, 30.7 percent said they would buy an Internet-connected set, as presented in the attached tables. In comparison, only 18.1 percent of consumers that bought a television during the 12 months before the survey said they desired an Internet-connected set.

Meanwhile, 18.8 percent of consumers planning to buy a television said they intend to purchase a 3-D model, compared to 6.6 percent for those who already bought a set.

“Features most commonly found on high-end TV models and bigger screen-size sets, like 3-D and Internet-connectivity, are becoming more important to U.S. consumers,” said Veronica Thayer, TV systems analyst at IHS. “But the appeal of 3-D TV remains far lower than that of Internet-enabled sets—often marketed as smart TVs.”

LED balloons
Liquid crystal display televisions (LCD TV) that employ light-emitting diode (LED) backlighting technology--commercially known as the LED TV—have attracted the most consumer attention. This is largely because of targeted ad campaigns for LED TVs that highlight a thinner bezel, brighter screen and more vivid colors. Results indicate that 30 percent of US consumers who purchased a TV 12 months before the survey said that the LED TV proved to be a main purchase driver.

Along with consumer preference, other factors are making LED backlighting more popular, with LED TV shipments in the United States soaring to almost half of total TV set units in 2012, and surpassing those of CCFL-backlit LCD TVs for the first time. The price gap is shrinking between LEDs and LCD TVs using the older CCFL backlighting technology. Meanwhile, more LED TV models are available.

Size and price trump everything
The biggest factor driving television purchasers among the US consumers during the 12 months before the survey was the desire for a larger set. Half of consumers indicated size was a factor in their purchase. This percentage declined to only 48 percent for those planning to buy a television.

The study also revealed that interest in bigger screen sizes is increasing in the United States, with 36 percent of consumers planning to buy a TV of at least 50 inches, up from 24 percent among consumers that purchased a TV the previous year.

However, price was the biggest factor for those planning to buy a set, at 53 percent, up from 27.9 percent for those who already bought a set.

Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.