Kathy De Aguiar stood in front of a large high-definition television set in Lynnwood’s Circuit City store and admired the crisp, clear pictures flashing across the screen.
"We have a big-screen TV that’s about 13 years old. The difference between that and this. … It’s almost like the difference between black-and-white and color," the Brier resident said last week.
Now that high-definition programs can be seen on Comcast and other cable systems, some local broadcast stations and satellite TV services, consumer interest is growing fast.
In the year that ended in September, consumers bought more than 2.4 million HDTV sets, according to NPD Group, a New York research firm. That total was triple the number of HDTV sets sold two years ago. According to forecasts, 6 million to 9 million households will have HDTV or HDTV-ready sets by the end of the year.
At the Circuit City store near Alderwood Mall, the store’s director said he thinks there’s one main reason for the upturn in HDTV sales at his business.
"Comparatively, sales are up over last year because the sets are much more affordable," John Wilson said.
For example, huge plasma sets that cost $10,000 or more a year or two ago now cost $3,000 to $7,000.
High definition-ready sets with 27-inch screens, but without the tuner required for true HDTV quality, can be found for a little less than $500.
Hype about the impending arrival of high-definition television has been in perpetual rerun status since the late 1980s. At electronics industry trade shows, companies regularly showed off HDTV sets and their amazing picture quality.
But with almost no broadcasters putting out programming in the HDTV format and the astronomical cost of the early HDTV sets, consumers balked.
The shift to HDTV was delayed as Congress and the Federal Communications Commission took time to figure out how to implement new standards for TV broadcasters.
"It’s really been a chicken-and-egg scenario," said Richard Lang, regional vice president of marketing at the Bothell office of Comcast, Snohomish County’s largest cable provider. He said cable companies and broadcasters looked for consumer interest in HDTV before making the programming available in that format, while consumers were waiting for more programming before buying the more expensive sets.
At this point, the FCC has mandated that all broadcasters transmit digital signals by the end of 2006.
HDTV seemed to reach critical mass with Comcast’s subscribers earlier this year, Lang said.
"For us, it really happened over the summer, when we were able to put the Mariners game on HDTV. Sports fans saw it, and it really took off from there," he said. "It’s phenomenal, the number of customers who have responded."
Now, Comcast offers KOMO, KCTS, HBO, Showtime, ESPN and two specialty channels in HDTV. KING-TV became available in HDTV last week, and KONG-TV will offer a high-definition channel early next year on Comcast. HDTV channels for Starz! and Cinemax also will be available in February.
Those offerings are expected to expand greatly in the next few years, Lang said.
While they’re not yet available via Comcast, most of the networks offer at least their most popular shows in HDTV format. Last year’s Super Bowl was broadcast in high definition, and so will the 2004 Olympics on NBC.
After starting with about 25 requests a week for HDTV service, Comcast is now getting about 1,000 calls a week from Puget Sound-area customers who want the upgraded service, Lang said. The cable company doesn’t disclose how many of its 1.1 million customers across the state now subscribe to HDTV service.
While the consumer electronics industry is bullish about HDTV’s potential to sell millions of new TV sets, there’s still plenty of confusion over the format, surveys show.
"People get confused when you talk digital vs. hi-def vs. plasma," said Wilson, the Circuit City manager. "Our sales associates have to be a lot more knowledgeable, especially as customers are getting more educated, too."
The key for TV manufacturers and cable companies pushing HDTV seems to be getting more people to see the stunning resolution and sound offered by the format. According to a recent study by Boston-based Dove Consulting, very few consumers said they thought "someone like me" would be interested in HDTV. But when they see high-definition broadcasts, they want a lot more of it.
Steve Kipp, a Comcast spokesman, flipped between the HDTV cable channels and regular stations on a 55-inch, high-definition set at the company’s office in Bothell. On this weekday afternoon, the complexion of the soap opera actors on "General Hospital" appeared picture-perfect on KOMO-TV’s regular analog channel.
Then he switched to KOMO’s HDTV channel, and suddenly the actors looked much more human. The higher resolution made facial flaws and the actors’ pancake makeup much more evident.
That difference is just as startling to many viewers as the eye-popping clearness of sports events, movies and nature programs in HDTV, Kipp said.
"You’re so used to seeing actors who have any pimples or blemishes, but with this you can see everything," he said.
Comcast and other cable companies hope to use HDTV and other new media technology to keep existing customers and lure those using satellite TV services or plain old antennas on their roofs. While it’s possible to receive HDTV channels over the air or via satellite, the receiving hardware is not cheap.
"For so many years, our competitors claimed they were the leading edge, the way to go, but now we are really taking a leap over the competition," said Lang, the Comcast vice president.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
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