Comparative Information on Hi Definition Televisions
The market for televisions is highly dynamic and competitive with television manufacturers working to keep up with changes in technology in order to attract customers (Bielby & Harrington, 2008). Consumers no longer buy televisions for the sake of having a TV at home. Consumer behavior in the television markets is highly determined by the features and technological trends in TV manufacturing. The evolution of TVs has seen the plasma and projection screens become the center of consumer choice for TVs. This paper seeks to analyze the buying behavior for HD TVs and to establish the factors that influence consumer choice and preference for HD televisions.
Data Collection
To study consumer behavior regarding HD TVs, the paper uses a descriptive research design. Exploratory research design was used to investigate the factors influencing customers’ choice for HD TVs. The research was based on both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through questionnaires that were filled by 30 respondents living in the same estate. Secondary data was collected from online retail sites such as Amazon.com.
Limitation of the Data
The data was collected in a short span of time and excluded respondents who did not have Hi-Definition televisions. The data collected was therefore prone to coverage errors. Non-response from some of the respondent who did not fill in the questionnaire hence did not provide prevalent information. The survey was also time consuming and tedious in identifying the specific users of Hi- Definition TVs.
Data Analysis
The key variables in the study were; TV category, price, quality of the speaker, screen size, sound quality, screen type, brand, ease of use and the score based on consumer assessment.
- Do you have a TV?
| Response | Frequency | percentage |
| Yes | 30 | 100 |
| N0 | 0 | 0 |
100% of the respondents owned Hi- Definition TVs
- What is the category of your TV?
| Category | frequency | Percentage |
| Bigscreen/Projection | 17 | 56.66666667 |
| LCD/Plasma | 13 | 43.33333333 |
| total | 30 | 100 |
Majority of the respondents had Big screen/ projection Hi-Definition TVs
- How would you rate the sound quality of your TV?
Table 1
TV Sound Quality
| sound quality | frequency | Percentage |
| rated 4 | 5 | 16.66666667 |
| rated 5 | 25 | 83.33333333 |
| total | 30 | 100 |
83% of the respondent rated the sound quality of their televisions at five out of five.
- What is the screen type of your tv?
Table 2
TV Screen Type
| screen type | frequency | Percentage |
| 16:9 | 25 | 83.33333333 |
| 4:3 | 5 | 16.66666667 |
| total | 30 | 100 |
Majority of the respondents had the 16:9 screen TVs.
- How would you rate the ease of using your TV?
Table 2
TV Ease of Use
| ease of use | frequency | Percentage |
| 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 3 | 17 | 56.66666667 |
| 4 | 10 | 33.33333333 |
| total | 30 | 100 |
On a scale of one to five, majority of the respondent rated the ease of use of their TVs three.
- What is the price range of your television?
Table 3
TV Sound Quality
| price | frequency |
| less than $1500 | 4 |
| $1500 – $2000 | 7 |
| $2001 – $2500 | 10 |
| $2501 – $3000 | 5 |
| more than $3000 | 4 |
| total | 30 |
Majority of the respondents bought TVs in the range of $2501 to $2500
- What is the brand of your TV?
| Samsung | Toshiba | Sony | Panasonic | Philips | JVC | Hitachi | Mitsubishi | Sharp | Apex | Akai | RCA | Gateway | other | Total | |
| frequency | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 30 |
Table 4 TV Sound Quality
Toshiba, Panasonic and Mitsubishi brands were purchased by more than two respondents.
Difference in Prices of the LCD and Plasma TV
After conducting a t-test to check whether there is a difference between the prices for Plasma and LCD TV, this study established that at 0.05 alpha level of significance, there is no difference in prices.
Null hypothesis: There is no significant difference in the prices for Plasma and LCD TVs
Alternative hypothesis: There is a significant difference in the prices for Plasma and LCD TVs
After a t-test, the t-value given was 0.179512307, which is larger than 0.05. Thus, there is no statistical difference between the prices of the two TVs, thus, rejecting the alternative hypothesis.
Regression
This research also determined whether there was a relationship between TV size and prices. The slope of interest is the price of TVs as size increases.
Null hypothesis: There is a significant relationship between the size and prices of TVs
Alternative hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between the size and prices of TVs
| SUMMARY OUTPUT | ||||||||
| Regression Statistics | ||||||||
| Multiple R | 0.153756 | |||||||
| R Square | 0.023641 | |||||||
| Adjusted R Square | -0.01123 | |||||||
| Standard Error | 701.7044 | |||||||
| Observations | 30 | |||||||
| ANOVA | ||||||||
| df | SS | MS | F | Significance F | ||||
| Regression | 1 | 333824.5 | 333824.5 | 0.677969 | 0.417245 | |||
| Residual | 28 | 13786893 | 492389 | |||||
| Total | 29 | 14120718 | ||||||
| Coefficients | Standard Error | t Stat | P-value | Lower 95% | Upper 95% | Lower 95.0% | Upper 95.0% | |
| Intercept | 2643.703 | 466.3373 | 5.669079 | 4.47E-06 | 1688.454 | 3598.951 | 1688.454 | 3598.951 |
| Screen Size | -8.68713 | 10.55045 | -0.82339 | 0.417245 | -30.2988 | 12.9245 | -30.2988 | 12.9245 |
Based on the output, at 0.05 alpha level of significance, we reject the alternative hypothesis given that the F statistic is greater than the given alpha level. Thus, we conclude that there I a relationship between TV size and price of TVs.
Findings of the Study
Analysis of the data revealed that majority of the respondents owned the big screen or projection televisions. The LCD and Plasma TVs were not popular among consumers. The consumers, therefore, preferred TVs with large screens greater than 50 inches. The sound quality of the TVs influenced the customers’ choice as all the respondents had a positive review with the majority giving their TVs a perfect score on sound. Hi- Definition televisions were not easy to use for most of the respondents. The study indicated that majority of the TV owners could not comfortably operate their televisions. The type of screen on a TV affected the customer’s choice on the television owned. The 16:9 screens were more popular than the 4:3 screens. People preferred TVs in the range of $2501 to $2500. Relatively cheap TVs however were not common among the consumers as only four people owned TVs that cost lower than $1500. The consumers identified with some brands with eleven respondents owning Toshiba, Panasonic and Mitsubishi TVs.
Conclusion
Consumer behavior is an important driver in the market for Hi-Definition TVs. the choices and preference determine what television one buys. While low prices increase the demand for a commodity, the market for televisions goes against this rule. People are more comfortable purchasing relatively expensive Televisions whose features they deemed more quality. The brand of a TV influenced the demand. There is a brand loyalty among consumers and despite the features; consumers have more confidence in the more popular brands. Additionally, large-sized TVs also attracted higher prices irrespective of the brand. However, all the factors from price, screen size, sound quality, ease of use, overall score, and screen type played a role in determining the perception of customers on a brand and its efficiency. These factors also determined the number of units a company managed to sell.
References
Bielby, D. D., & Harrington, C. L. (2008). Global TV: Exporting television and culture in the world market. NYU Press.
