Canadians love HDTV even if they don't fully understand it

(CBC) - Sales of high-definition televisions are healthy but few Canadians know much about the technology, according to a poll released on Thursday.

Forty-eight per cent of those surveyed confessed they were not at all knowledgeable about such features as 1080p resolution and pixel response times, compared to only five per cent who considered themselves very knowledgeable.

The knowledge gap persists despite a truly robust market for flat-panel TVs, according to the findings from Nanos Research, commissioned to do the survey by Sharp Electronics of Canada.

Overall, the market grew by 72 per cent last year, with sales of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) TVs growing by 84.4 per cent, Sharp said. For 2008, projected sales figures from the Consumer Electronics Marketers of Canada (CEMC) indicate a market demand of 2.75 million units.

The poll reports Canadians have a basic understanding of the differences between flat- screen technologies - 53 per cent prefer LCD to plasma screens - yet few Canadians feel themselves to be truly knowledgeable about the technology.

Women are especially unaware of HDTV features, the survey suggested. Almost 60 per cent said they were not at all knowledgeable about the latest advancements, compared to less than 40 per cent of men polled across the country.

The jargon-laden language of tech reports may be an issue, with 29 per cent of Canadians getting their information about new models from TV ads and programs, compared to only 20 per cent from print media and 16 per cent from weblogs and product websites.

Both male and female respondents were clearly interested in eco-friendly and energy- saving products. Forty-eight per cent of those polled rated concerns such as power consumption and toxins used in manufacturing as very important when considering which HDTV to buy.

Nanos Research surveyed 1,000 Canadians in Ontario, Quebec, the West and Atlantic regions. The poll results are considered accurate within 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.