Following my post from CES back in January, more positive news for UHD TV emerges after we have completed the weighting of the latest European survey data in our ConsumerMetrix service. As in the US we found strong interest in buying a new UHD TV over the next two years, assuming the products meet performance and price expectations. 55% of Europeans said they would be very or somewhat likely to buy a UHD TV over the coming two years, split between 15% very and 41% somewhat likely (difference due to rounding).

As I noted previously, the survey question asked respondents to make certain assumptions:

 Ultra HD or 4k TV is a new type of TV which offers significantly improved images compared to today's HDTV. Assuming the price of an Ultra HD or 4k TV was acceptable to you, and assuming the image quality was as good as is claimed, how likely would you be to buy a new Ultra HD or 4k TV within the next two years?

 Some commentators questionned our approach but we feel it is justified to ask consumers to make assumptions about things they are not familiar with. At minimum this research demonstrates that people are indeed interested in improving their big screen TV experience, even when they already have HD. This is an important finding in itself, given that there seem to be many observers doubting the need for Ultra HD or indeed the future importance of the big screen in the home in general.

 Our study also reached the following conclusions:

                    ·        Awareness of the term “Ultra HD” is much higher than either “4K TV” or “UHD”

·        Awareness of Ultra HD declines with age and increases with income

·        Two thirds of higher income households would be willing to buy an Ultra HDTV

·        Intention to buy Ultra HDTV peaks in the 25-34 age group

·        Other indicators of intention to buy Ultra HDTV are number of children in the household and ownership of surround sound systems

David Mercer