No middle ground when it comes to high definition channels

Noobie recently ran a poll on its web site asking how important the number of available high definition channels is when choosing between over-the-air, cable or satellite programming. The results were definitely interesting.

The majority, roughly 39% of respondents, said that the number of high definition channels was not at all important. The second highest group of voters, 27% of respondents, said that the number of high definition channels was extremely important. The remaining 34% were split somewhere between somewhat important, important and very important.

So it appears for most people that high definition channels are either extremely important or not important at all. This makes me wonder if the people who say it is not important have never experienced high definition television programming. If they haven’t, I have to wonder if that played into their response. Or maybe it was that they have seen all of the high definition marketing hype and don’t need another reason to give the cable and satellite companies another $10-15/month.

You don’t have to pay for high definition

If the latter is true, consider this a public reminder that high definition programming for the major television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and FOX) are all currently available in high definition for free using nothing more than a standard indoor or outdoor antenna. Well, that and a widescreen television with a digital tuner.

This whole migration to high definition television makes me think of the days when Blockbuster first introduced a DVD aisle in its stores. I’m sure when the majority of people signed up for a Blockbuster membership, the number of available DVDs was not a big consideration in their decision. But how many would sign up for a membership to a video store now that only carried VHS movies?

The only question I have is when high definition is fully integrated everywhere and has become commonplace, will the cable and satellite companies continue to charge their premium for it?