Big gap remains between HD set ownership and HD viewing

WHILE THE NUMBER of households with an installed high-definition television (HDTV) continues to grow worldwide, a large number of these folks aren’t using the thing to watch HD programming. According to research firm In-Stat, the number of American HDTV households, defined as those having both an installed HD-capable TV set and also receiving and watching HD programming, increased by almost 40% in 2008. However, the growth rate could well have been much larger. "In the U.S., there are more than 39 million households with an installed HDTV set," said Mike Paxton, an In-Stat analyst, in a release. "However, only 22...