New TVs alluring, but content lags
Home entertainment options multiplying Multimedia PC acts as command central
Greg Moore, father of three pre- schoolers, recently bought a 52- inch Sony TV with an LCD projection system that allows him to tap into a host of digital services offered by his cable company.
In addition to 12 high- definition TV channels, he can watch football, hockey and video- on- demand in HD.
Hockey Night in Canada
has never been better, says Moore, director of foreign exchange and risk management at Scotia Capital. He is less impressed with the titles available with the videoondemand service.
Today, there are more entertainment options than ever: from liquid- crystal display and plasma- screen TVs, which deliver the full benefit of digital programming, to oodles of video games, video- on- demand and satellite TV.
“ Smaller is better, flat is cool,” says Calvin Pascall, general manager of Best Buy’s Downsview store, summing up the shopping philosophy of consumers.
Darren Elkerton, a specialist in TV and computer services at Markhambased AC Nielsen, says LCD and plasmascreen TVs offer great resolution, but most programming can’t take advantage of their full potential.
And, he says, plasma and liquid- crystal TVs can present problems when it comes to sporting events because their refresh rate is slower than old- school analogue TVs. “ They have to become faster before they deliver an ultraamazing experience.” Thanks to high prices, plasma and LCD TV adoption in this country is very low — 2 per cent and 11 per cent respectively — says Darrel Ryce, director of IT research at Toronto- based NPD Group. This compares with about 40 per cent of Canadian homes that have a gaming console such as an Xbox, PlayStation 2 or Game Cube. While Moore likes his flat-screen LCD TV and home theatre, his favourite toy is a Hewlett-Packard media centre, hooked up to a digital home network. Why? His music library is stored on the media centre.
“ I like to scroll through the entire collection and create a playlist if I’m relaxing at home, or having a dinner party,” says Moore.
His second favourite feature is being able to store digital photos and home movies in one place.
“ It’s amazing how often my wife and I go through pictures we have recently taken,” he says.
However, while the options are many, only a very small number of Canadians have cottoned on to the idea that home entertainment can be networked.
Experts say that’s because manufacturers and retailers are doing a poor job communicating the possibilities.
“There’s a significant gap between home networking options and consumer understanding of those options,” says Darrel Ryce, director of IT research at Toronto- based NPD Group. He adds that networks have the greatest potential to revolutionize the home entertainment experience.
Still, a recent survey by NPD Group found that, while 62 per cent of Canadians with a digital home network have a printer attached, just 15 per cent have a TV or other entertainment device connected. The survey also found that 41 per cent of Canadians with a home network now spend more time sharing digital photos, and 26 per cent spend more time listening to music.