“I am proud to announce our nation has hit this digital milestone. With 50 percent of U.S. homes able to experience the reality of digital television, we have crossed a critical threshold,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. “2008 will continue to demonstrate the growth and success of DTV, with nearly 32 million units forecasted to ship. Consumers are particularly keen to add HDTV to their homes, with high definition expected to account for 79 percent of total DTV shipments in the U.S. in 2008.”

Since, except for some lingering stock, all televisions sold in the US must have digital tuners at this point, meaning nearly 100% of TVs sold are DTVs, that implies 79% of TVs sold in 2008 would be HDTVs. Which is pretty impressive, and shows the rapid turn in the market toward HDTV. I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot more on DTV and HDTV at CES just over a week from now.

The full press release is below:

Dec 28, 2007 12:59

More Than Half of U.S. Households Own a Digital Television

Milestone of 50% DTV Penetration Arrives as the 2008 International CES Showcases DTV Innovations

ARLINGTON, Va. –(Business Wire)– Dec. 28, 2007 More than 50 percent of U.S. households now own a digital television (DTV), according to new research released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA(R)). As the nation transitions to digital television, consumers are adding DTV to their homes at a record pace.

“I am proud to announce our nation has hit this digital milestone. With 50 percent of U.S. homes able to experience the reality of digital television, we have crossed a critical threshold,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. “2008 will continue to demonstrate the growth and success of DTV, with nearly 32 million units forecasted to ship. Consumers are particularly keen to add HDTV to their homes, with high definition expected to account for 79 percent of total DTV shipments in the U.S. in 2008.”

According to new CEA sales projections, manufacturers will post 11 percent revenue growth, to over $25 billion, from sales of digital televisions in 2007. CEA also forecasts 13 percent revenue and 17 percent unit sales growth for digital television in 2008.

This strong sales growth of DTV is reflected on the show floor and in conference sessions at the 2008 International CES(R), the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow, running January 7 – 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. DTV and related products are prevalent throughout the record-setting 1.8 million net square feet of show floor space. Exhibitors are showcasing the world’s largest flat panel displays, next generation DTV products, technologies to enable consumers to view HDTV on the go and a host of other new products and technologies. In addition to the 2,700 exhibits on the show floor, DTV will be a hot topic at multiple events and conference sessions.

On Saturday, January 5 at 2:00 p.m. in The Venetian, Bellini 2105, Steve Koenig, CEA Industry Analyst and Shawn DuBravac, CEA Economist will present a complete analysis of the state of the industry. This presentation featuring CEA’s latest market research will include key trends and forecasts for various DTV and high definition product categories.

The Conversion to Digital TV: Government Coupon Program and Retailer Participation session, Monday, January 7 at 12:00 p.m. in the LVCC North Hall, Room N254, will focus on the details around the U.S. government’s $40 converter box coupon program. Kyle Rogg, senior vice president, business development, CLC Services will present the requirements and the process for retailer participation in the program and ensure retailers understand their important role in this transition.

The Goodbye Analog, Hello DTV conference session, Monday, January 7 at 1:30 p.m. in the LVCC North Hall, Room N262, will bring together top leaders in the industry who will discuss the educational efforts underway to ensure consumers receive the necessary information to successfully transition to digital television. Moderated by Jason Oxman, Consumer Electronics Association, panelists include Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at NTIA Meredith Baker; Debra Berlyn, AARP; Jonathan Collegio, National Association of Broadcasters; Catherine Seidel, FCC; Rob Stoddard, National Cable and Telecommunication Association; and Tony Wilhelm, NTIA.

In a one-on-one conversation on Tuesday, January 8, at 10:30 a.m. in the LVCC North Hall, Room 255-257, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and CEA’s Gary Shapiro will discuss their thoughts on the digital television transition, cable compatibility, spectrum allocation and other issues critical to the consumer electronics industry.

For more information about the 2008 International CES, please visit http://www.CESweb.org.

About CEA:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $148 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,200 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES – Where Entertainment, Technology and Business Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online at http://www.CE.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS -0-

-- CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES
   January 5, 2008, Las Vegas, NV

-- 2008 International CES
   January 7-10, 2008, Las Vegas, NV

-- Digital Music Forum East
   February 26-27, 2008, New York, NY

-- EHX Spring 2008
   March 11-15, 2008, Orlando, FL

-- 2008 PARA Conference
   March 12-14, 2008, Orlando, FL

-- Digital Patriots Dinner
   April 2, 2008, Washington, DC

-- CEA Washington Forum
   April 2-4, 2008, Washington, DC

-- International CES/Hometech
   May 25-27, 2008, Dubai, UAE

-- Connections(TM): The Digital Living Conference and Showcase
   June 24-26, 2008, Santa Clara, CA

-- SINOCES 2008
   July 10-13, 2008, Qingdao, China

-- CEA Industry Forum
   October 19-22, 2008, Las Vegas, NV

-- Digital Hollywood
   October 27-30, 2008, Hollywood, CA

-- EHX Fall 2008
   November 4-7, 2008, Long Beach, CA

Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
Jason Oxman, 703-907-7664
joxman@ce.org
http://www.CE.org
or
Megan Pollock, 703-907-7668
mpollock@ce.org

The Gemstar TVGOS guide system was, and is, used in many TVs, VCRs, DVD recorders, and even DVRs. The Sony CableCARD DVRs, the DHG-HDD250 and DHG-HDD500, rely on TVGOS for not only their guide data, but also to set their clocks.

What will happen to all of these devices when the analog broadcasts cease on (or before) February 11, 2009? Even if you don’t use antenna, if the local PBS station goes all digital, the feed to your cable provider would be from the digital source. Even if the cable provider continued to provide the channel in analog form, it would be unlikely to contain the TVGOS data as the source feed would not. It seems likely that these devices will simply cease to function, or at least suffer a major loss of features, when the guide data is no longer available. It is already known that the Sony DVRs wouldn’t work in some areas of the country where the TVGOS data was simply unavailable as it was not carried by any of the stations.