• by Aaron Baar , July 9, 2013

When it comes to purchasing a television, people are interested in two things: price and screen quality. The order, however, varies depending on the size of the television they are considering.

According to J.D. Power and Associates’ annual High-Definition Television Satisfaction Report, two-thirds (66%) of people who purchased an HDTV with a 50-inch screen or larger said picture quality was the most important factor in their purchase decision, followed by price (62%). Among those who purchased smaller televisions, price was the leading factor (68%) followed by picture quality (58%). 

Consumers interested in the larger HDTVs are also more likely to research the brands and features before pulling the trigger on their purchase, according to the study. Among people who were purchasing 50-inch or larger HDTVs, 27% said they visited the manufacturer’s Web site before making the purchase, compared with 21% who purchased smaller TVs. The final decision, however, was not generally made until the person had an opportunity to view the product in-store.

“Consumers are doing their homework before visiting a retailer; however, it's not until they actually see the TVs side by side that they ultimately decide which brand, size and type to buy,” said Christina Cooley, director in the diversified industries practice at J.D. Power, in a statement. “It's vital that consumers are able to clearly see and experience the various benefits provided across the manufacturers' offerings and have access to knowledgeable salespeople to help them decide which TV will best suit their needs.”

When it comes to features, people are more interested in the ability to view online content than 3D content, according to the study. Among those who purchased TVs in the past year, 67% of those who purchased the larger sets (and 43% of those purchasing smaller ones) bought sets with Internet capabilities, while only 36% of the larger-set buyers (and 16% of the smaller) purchased TVs with HDTV capabilities. 

Among the manufacturers, Sony and Vizio tied for the highest rank in customer satisfaction among the under-50-inch HDTVs, with a score of 858 (on a 1,000-point scale). LG Electronics and Samsung followed with a tied score of 854. For the larger sets, Samsung ranked the highest, with a score of 879.