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ViewSonic's Appliance Reliance Report Reveals the British Love Affair with Television (3/7/2006)

* HD-ready TV outstrips PCs and MP3 players as No 1 'must have' technology
* HD-ready TVs surpass luxury designer goods as status symbols
* 94% of Brits are tech-addicted, 24% admit to 'techno-shame'
* Over 55s lead the home entertainment revolution
* Brits spend on average £1,588 on home entertainment systems

Independent research from ViewSonic, a global leader in display technology including LCD TVs, reveals that High Definition TV* (HD-TVs) are the 'most wanted' technology item by UK and European consumers, and are deemed to be significantly more desirable than iPods, digital video cameras or the latest home PCs and laptops. A third of British males say they'd be happy to spend £1,000 on one.

The ViewSonic 'Appliance Reliance' report polled over 5,000 European consumers to reveal:

* TVs and home computers are way ahead of mobile phones as the technology we most rely on. When asked what they couldn't imagine living without, 72% and 68% voted for home computers and TV (respectively), whilst only 38% plumped for mobile phones and 32% for radio.
* Overall, 94% of the UK population admit to be 'tech-addicted' to some extent.

Contrary to popular belief it is not the urban 20-somethings leading the tech revolution in our homes.

* In the UK, the over 55s are most likely to have made the jump to HD-TV with 10% already owning one; they also lead the field in terms of awareness. The least knowledgeable age group is 16-24 year olds where 30% are 'not aware of HD-TV' compared with 20% of Brits overall.
* HD-TVs have become significant status symbols, equalling luxury city-breaks as the most covetable purchase and putting designer labels, jewellery and even fine-art in the shade.

Mel Taylor, Vice President Director of European Marketing at ViewSonic, said: "The television already held pride of place in our technology-centric world, now it's a barometer of social status too."

Online responses were collated for the ViewSonic Appliance Reliance Report from a demographically representative group of consumers in the UK (2,384), France (1,678) and Germany (1,091), by independent research organisation Tickbox.net in February and March 2006.

TV - prime object of desire

The French said that a HD-TV is twice as desirable as a home PC and in Germany HD-TV is deemed twice as desirable as a Digital Video Camera. In the UK, the five most desired technology items are: latest technology TV (64%) home computer/laptop (62%), digital camera (45%), DVD player/recorder (42%), Digital Video camera (35%) and MP3 player (31%).

The UK's enthusiasm for HD-TVs was strongest in the South West (71%) and Yorkshire (69%) but has uniform appeal across all age groups.

TV as status symbol - move over Gucci, Rolex and Cartier: A quarter of the British adult population, and a third of the men, say they would be prepared to spend £1,000 on a HD-ready TV over all other luxury goods items. The top three items that people would consider spending £1,000 on are: HDTV (26%), City Break Holiday (25%) or a piece of jewellery (17%). Designer watches, handbags and bespoke tailored suits were way down the list with 6%, 2% and 4% respectively.

UK suffering 'Techno-Shame'

A quarter of Brits (24%) are embarrassed at how out of date their home entertainment systems are, while 30% of French households admitting 'techno-shame'. Germans are least likely to feel embarrassed but even there, one in six households feel they are badly behind the times. In the UK, over 51% of the population agree that they "find it difficult to keep up with the latest technology trends and innovations in the home".

Spending on style

A clear majority (68%) agree that the look and feel of home entertainment equipment is important and 62% would be prepared to spend more on stylish items. Indeed, 1 in 20 is prepared to spend up to 50% more on 'good looking but technically identical items', this figure rises for younger people (8%).

When asked to put a price on the value of the main entertainment centre in their living rooms, Brits spend on average £1,588 with 25% spending over £2,000. A twentieth of the population (4%) have spent over £5,000 and these are most likely to be living in the South West.

* High Definition TV is a television display technology that provides picture quality similar to 35mm movies with sound quality similar to that of today's compact disc.

www.viewsoniceurope.com