If 4K/Ultra-HD is to become a consumer electronics phenomenon on par with HD a decade ago, it will have come from humble beginnings.
A new Diffusion Group study shows the technology suffers from low consumer awareness but very high price sensitivity.
The research company found that only 17 percent of the 1,500 U.S. broadband users polled by TDG indicated any level of familiarity with the technology.
And among those who did indicate awareness, price sensitivity was particularly high. Asked if they'd purchase a 4K TV at a retail price of $1,499--a midrange price in the current market--only 6 percent of broadband users indicated moderate or high interest. Raise the price to $1,999, and that positive response rate halved to just 3 percent.
"The industry is counting on 4K/UHD to be the solution for slow television sales and declining unit prices," said TDG president Michael Greeson. "This explicitly quantifies just how poor the demand for 4K/UHD televisions actually is and clearly demonstrates the current prices are too high to stimulate new sales."
For more:
- read this press release
- read this MediaPost story
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