PSA: Owning an HDTV doesn’t mean you’re watching HD

A new study in the U.K. finds that while 56 percent of the households have a high definition set, only 9 percent of those people are getting high definition content.  

The rest, it seems, are using standard definition sources (i.e. standard def set top boxes or regular DVD players). While the study is focused on the U.K., it holds some universal truths. (Just ask my next-door neighbor, who was mistakenly using coax cable to run a signal from his STB to his HDTV.)

Technological ignorance is the culprit. People making the shift from older sets to a flat screen plug their systems in – and perhaps upgrade to component cables – and the picture improves marginally. The jump, for them, is big enough that the think they’re seeing high definition. A cable is a cable, they assume – whether it’s coax, component or HDMI.

As you might expect, only 27 percent of the people surveyed said they read the instruction manual.

It’s an easy mistake to make for someone who’s not tech savvy. So if you picked up one of the bargain sets on Black Friday for mom or dad, you might want to pick up the right cables and see about upgrading their STB, so they can fully appreciate your gift.