• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, April 2, 2008

A new report from Nielsen Media Research brings some clarity to Starcom's bid to formalize a "HD upfront marketplace." According to the report, "High Definition Television Estimates," released to clients last week, nearly 27% of U.S. TV households are now capable of displaying a high definition, or HDTV programming on their TV sets.

That's up from just 19% six months ago, and is no doubt being fueled, in part by the transition to digital television. Many of the new TV sets being purchased by consumers are automatically HD ready, though most of those households still are not receiving high-definition television signals. According to Nielsen's most recent estimates, about 15% of U.S. TV households can now receive an HDTV signal.

"Defining an HD television or home is not a simple task," reads the Nielsen report. "The concept of high definition will vary depending on who asked, and there are several misconceptions about HD. Consumers may confuse HDTV with digital television, digital cable, or widescreen television. Many viewers may not be aware that in order to view HD content they not only need the HD set and tuner, but they also must receive an HD signal."

The report cites a variety of recent studies conducted by various industry groups, and notes that consumer electronics retailers have been launching campaigns to educate the public on about HDTV technology.

The Federal Communication Commission defines HDTV as a specific type of digital television characterized by having the highest resolution and picture quality of all digital broadcast formats. HDTV's have a widescreen format (16:9 aspect ratio). Traditional screen formats have an aspect ratio of 4:3.

In addition, HDTV's offer higher resolution display such as 720p (720 lines in progressive scan) or 1080i (1080 lines interlaced).

Enhanced Definition Televisions (EDTV) also offer higher resolution displays than standard definition televisions. Nielsen classifies some enhanced display sets, such as 480p and 576p sets, as HD.