Press Releases

“Though there is much discussion about which CE platform is best suited to introduce next-generation web and PC-like functionality to the home entertainment center, very few platforms have the strategic legacy of the DVD player,” notes Michael Greeson, TDG President and author of the new report. “The DVD player diffused very deeply, very quickly, much more so than other types of video platforms. It has proven not only “in demand” but impossible to resist.”

It is this unique diffusion history, argues Greeson, which makes the DVD player especially suitable for introducing Internet functionality to the home TV and beyond. Competing platforms such as game consoles and PCs face significant challenges: game consoles are now experiencing a slowing of penetration growth (most purchases being replacement- or upgrade-driven versus first-time buys); PCs are still widely viewed as too complex to use for a “living room” experience. The DVD platform, on the other hand, does not face these same challenges – it’s seen as inexpensive, reliable, and very simple to use, notes Greeson. “Vendors still haven’t figured out that by adding Internet support and a few compelling web-enabled features into a mainstream living room platform like the DVD player will increase the uptake of media networking in general and particularly, TV-based Web video consumption.

Greeson does acknowledge that not just any web-enabled feature will fit the bill and that the appeal of different applications will vary by consumer segment and diffusion timeline. For example, at the present time, 37% of consumers are interested in having the ability to see updated movie previews or trailers (a benefit of the DVD player having access to a host of complimentary video stored on the web). On the other hand, new media communication features such as simultaneous IM or chat during DVD viewing was of interest to only 13% of consumers.

Consumer Receptivity to Web-Enabled DVD Features analyzes TDG's latest primary research regarding digital media behavior and preferences - in this case, consumer interest in a series of Internet-enabled features likely to be included in next-generation DVD players.

TDG selected a number of variables through which to analyze interest in these nine features including gender, age, tech-adopter status, advanced CE ownership (in this case, owning both a DVR and a home theater), and proclivity to purchase a new DVD player in the next six months. A key component of the report is a discussion of which of these factors are most strongly correlated with each feature or attribute.