However, this installed base of households is decidedly biased to two countries: the US and Japan. Further, within the US market, there is a significant gap between HDTV ownership and households utilising HD programming, reports In-Stat.

The number of US HDTV households, defined as households having both an installed HD-capable TV set and also receiving and watching HD programming, increased by almost 40 per cent in 2008. However, the growth rate could well have been much larger.

“In the US, there are more than 39 million households with an installed HDTV set,” according to Mike Paxton, an In-Stat analyst. “However, only 22 million of those are HDTV households, meaning that 17 million US households with an installed HDTV set are not watching HD programming.”

Recent research by In-Stat also found the following:

* On a global basis, HDTV service remains limited to a relatively small number of countries, primarily the US and Japan.

* At year-end 2008, there were over 36 million HDTV households worldwide, up from 29 million at year-end 2007.

* Even though the number of European HDTV households is rising, it will be 2011 before the number of HDTV households in that region reaches the 10 million mark.

* Cable and satellite TV service providers provide HD programming to almost 80 per cent of all HDTV households. Telco TV service providers and terrestrial broadcast TV service providers provide service to the remaining HDTV households.