The who, what, why, where and when of television watching
Who is watching television and why and how are they watching it?
According to a Washington Post report, big screen TVs are used for gatherings of family and friends while phones and tablets are used for individual viewing. The varying uses are indicative of a shifting market while showing that television is still popular.
Supporting evidence comes from The NPD Group, which finds decreasing sales for 32-inch and smaller sets but increasing sales for larger screens. Their explanation is that when people watch together, they need big screens. If they watch alone, PCs and tablets are good enough.
Moffett Nathanson Research contends that broadcast and cable viewers were, on average, 44-years-old, while "major broadcast network shows" attracted audiences closer to 54. This they attributed largely to younger people wanting more control over when and where they watch — in other words, according to NPD, using their tablets, except of course when sharing with friends.
Among the technology highlights at last month's CES were super high definition televisions from Samsung and Sony. With screens ranging from 48- to 88-inches, the technology enables viewers to see more light and color, according to trustedreviews.com. Samsung's versions will "automatically monitor image brightness" to make colors more accurate and blacks blacker, with both optimal contrast and power consumption.
Sony's televisions are said to be the world's thinnest with the additional benefits of "looking more like a picture hanging up than a TV." Its processor also "aims to enhance clarity, color and contrast performance" as well as having access to Google's TV platform.
Home screens, rather than home fires, may be the way of keeping family and friends together in future.