Washington, D.C. (September 12, 2007) -- High-Definition TV viewers are not more likely to watch TV commercials than non-HD viewers.

That's according to a new study from Home Technology Monitor/Knowledge Networks.

The study says high-def subscribers find commercials produced in HD "more relevant."

But 88 percent of HD viewers say they change channels or ignore the commercial when it comes on, as opposed to 80 percent of non-HD viewers.

The number apparently represents their behavior for all  commercials combined -- those produced in HD and standard-definition.

(Update: David Tice, director of the Home Technology Monitor, sent this statement to TVPredictions.com late this afternoon after this article was originally published.

"72 percent said they usually or sometimes notice when ads are in HD or not.  And, among those who do notice, two thirds say that being in HD makes no difference to whether they watch an ad or not, while one third say they may be more likely to watch an ad if it is in HD. Whether that is favorable or not is up for interpretation; one could argue that the potential of getting even a third of people more interested is a pretty good result in today’s advertising world.")

"For advertisers, the challenge is to take advantage of this program preference in a way that is truly worthwhile; and for consumer electronics businesses or television service providers, there is still a need to address barriers perceived by consumers," said David Tice, the director of the Home Technology Monitor.

The study also said high-def homes are more likely to have Digital Video Recorders, which include the Fast Forward feature.

"In this study, 51 percent of homes with an HDTV set and HDTV service reported having a DVR - 12 percent a regular DVR and 39% had at least one HDTV DVR. This compared to 18% of non-HD homes that had a DVR," Tice said.

Consequently, the study reports, 70 percent of high-def viewers time-shift (watch shows on the DVR after they air live) compared to 50 percent of non-HD homes.

In other findings, the study said:

* One-third of high-def viewers always check their HD channels first when channel surfing or checking for a program.
* About half "always" make the effort to watch in HD if a program is simulcast in both standard definition and HD.
* HD viewers are less likely to say they are inclined to purchase from advertisers during HD programs than non-HD viewers are from advertisers on regular TV programs (23 percent vs.37 percent.)

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