A new study commissioned by 3M shows that American consumers want high
brightness and quality no matter at what angle they view their LCD TVs.
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3M Physicist Dr. Dave Lamb stands next to two LCD TV screens with identical on-axis brightness, but varying degrees of wide-angle luminance - a combination of off-axis viewing and brightness. Some LCD TVs lose quality when viewed from the side, such as the TV on the right. Photo credit: 3M
The study was conducted by CBS Vision, the Las Vegas-based research division and facility owned by CBS Corporation. 3M is a leading technology company in high-quality consumer electronics.
The findings show that as TVs become central entertainment hubs for viewing, gaming and web connectivity, consumers are viewing their TVs from many different angles on a regular basis, and expect a consistently bright and crisp screen image. As consumers age, they place an even higher premium on wide-angle viewing, the study shows.
“We were pleased to team up with 3M to take a closer look at the fundamentals surrounding consumers’ LCD television viewing experience,” said David Poltrack, chief research officer, CBS Corporation and president, CBS Vision. “We learned that consumers don’t always realize that the way they watch their LCD TV impacts the quality of what they see.”
“We wanted to understand how important wide-angle luminance — a combination of off-axis viewing and brightness — was to consumers, since this is something 3M technology enhances. This study shows that wide-angle luminance is very important, even if consumers are not initially aware of the measurement,” said 3M Physicist Dr. Dave Lamb, the scientific advisor on the study.
Studying nearly 600 consumers in three phases over a four-week period, the study found that 84 percent of respondents view their TVs from a variety of angles. Further, 69 percent of participants said wide-angle picture quality was very or extremely important. And yet, 44 percent initially were unaware of a difference in quality of many LCD screens when viewed from the side. Once they viewed two sets of varying quality side by side, however, 88 percent preferred the screen with better wide-angle luminance — a brighter, crisper screen at a variety of viewing angles.
Additionally, the research shows that 47 percent of consumers reported they are not satisfied with the home-mode settings of most LCD screens, and change these settings, increasing the amount of energy consumed.
The research reinforces previous studies conducted in Japan looking at consumer viewing habits[i] and luminance preferences[ii].
Key consumer behavior findings include:
- 86% have a flat screen TV
- 15% definitely will buy a new TV this year; 60% find picture quality extremely important
- 46% typically view their primary TV off axis, defined as any viewing angle that is more than 15% from center, when watching alone; 67% do so when watching with other people
- 52% typically view their secondary TV off axis when watching alone; 65% do so when watching with other people
- 84% at times view their TV off axis when watching alone; 87% reported other people at times viewing their TV off axis
Key consumer preference findings include:
- 47% change the settings on their TVs to make them brighter (reducing the effectiveness of ENERGY STAR ratings)
- 44% were initially not aware of a difference in picture quality when viewed off axis
- 88% preferred the set with better wide-angle luminance in a direct comparison
- 83% of males 55 years of age and older would pay on average $200 more for the TV with better wide-angle luminance; 64% of females 55 years of age and older would do so, as well
For more on 3M’s perspective on LCD TV wide-angle luminance, information on how consumers can select the best LCD TV, or photos of Lamb with LCD TVs, visit www.3M.com/makesyouwonder.
About 3M
3M is a core supplier to the consumer electronics industry since 1995, making displays brighter, lighter and more energy-efficient. 3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $27 billion in sales, 3M employs about 80,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.
About CBS Vision
CBS Vision, a CBS Corporation-owned research unit (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS), is designed to explore and offer insight on emerging technologies, media consumption patterns and advertising value in the media marketplace and to share that knowledge with all CBS Corporation divisions as well as outside clients and potential partners. The majority of the research conducted by the unit is done at CBS Television City, which is a state-of-the-art facility located in Las Vegas within the MGM Grand Hotel.
[i] 2007 T. Fujine, Y. Kikuchi, M. Sugino, Y. Yoshida, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 46, No. 3B, p. 1358-1362 (2007).
[ii] 2011 T. Matsumoto, S. Haga, T. Nakatsue, S. Kubota, Y.
Kubota, K. Imabayashi, K. Kishimoto, S. Goshi, S. Imai, Y. Igarashi, SID
18.2 (2011).