Think yourself a sharper TV picture
WANT to experience the benefits of super-sharp high-definition TV without buying a new set? Simply tell yourself that you are watching HD and put up a few posters. That's the implication of a Dutch study into how expectations affect viewers' perceptions (Computers in Entertainment, vol 7, article 40).
Two groups of 30 people watched the same video clip, individually, on the same television. Half were told to expect a better experience thanks to HD technology, an impression backed up by posters, flyers and an extra-thick cable connected to the screen. The other half were told to expect a normal DVD signal.
In questionnaires afterwards, the group told to expect HD reported that they had witnessed significantly sharper, more detailed images.
This works in a blind study, I'm sure, but the trend setters are more likely to know what the difference is and be looking for it, and then the rest of the pack follows along without ever really learning more than just the buzz words. They do so with the goals of higher-quality picture and having what the trend setters have. They achieve their goals, but they need to them laid out in order to have something to strive for. Buzz words matter, and savvy consumers will know what they're after, even if they don't really notice a huge difference without having it pointed out to them.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what would happen, though, if they tried this on a group that was used to having everything in HD? Something tells me that, like so many of the other toys and gimmicks we're used to, once you get it you can't go back.