Consumers at risk of getting bogus TV bargains

According to a new survey, Britons could be spending almost £300m buying new TVs in the January sales - not realising they may soon be obsolete

Consumers at risk of getting bogus TV bargains. Home Cinema 0

13 January 2006 16:52 GMT / By Stuart Miles

According to a new survey, Britons could be spending almost £300m buying new TVs in the January sales - not realising they may soon be obsolete.

New research from cable company Telewest who is trialling a HDTV service suggests many bargain hunters may be snapping up discounted TV sets blindly believing they are equipped to receive ultra-sharp high definition pictures and sound.

In the survey, which surveyed 2004 UK adults over the age of 18 from 6-9 January, 2006, almost half (44%) of Brits do not know what HDTV means.

Despite three-quarters claiming their new TV should last for at least 6 years, consumers are still seduced by the best price (71%) or the size of the screen (66%). Almost a third (30%) admitted to finding the range in television choice confusing and needing to seek advice from family, friends or salespeople (32%) before buying.

Philip Snalune, director of product management and marketing at Telewest, said: "Only 27% of the shoppers we interviewed were concerned whether sets were HD-ready, with their main priority being a bargain".

The company has listed four top tips to making sure you buy the right television.

1. Is the new set HD-ready? Look out for the HD Ready logo, which all HDTV products should have on them.
2. Make sure the new set has HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) connectivity. This gives you a direct transmission free of the disruptions or noises experienced with analogue signal broadcasts.
3. Check that related technology - for example the set-top box you use to receive your digital TV services - is HD-compatible, such as Telewest's new personal video recorder (PVR), TVDrive.
4. If in any doubt, always check with your retailer before you buy.

Related
Full tags
Home Cinema
UK Shopping
Amazon.co.uk, play.com, pixmania.co.uk, Currys.co.uk, Dixons.co.uk, 7dayshop.com, ebay.co.uk
US Shopping
Amazon.com, bestbuy.com, ebay.com

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