Presence and Image Quality: The Case of High-Definition Television

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that form variables can increase television viewers' sense of presence. The current broadcasting of high-definition television (HDTV) programming makes testing this relation between form and presence possible in a new context, image quality. In this experiment, television viewers watched either HDTV or standard-definition television images and then rated their viewing experience on a pencil-and-paper questionnaire. The results demonstrate that HDTV provided viewers with a greater sense of presence than the current standard, thus providing empirical evidence for the claim that improved image quality will lead to television viewers' experiencing presence. Additionally, the results suggest that with the coming of HDTV, sensations of presence will be both stronger and more common.The quality of television images watched in America's living rooms is about to change dramatically with the conversion to high-definition television (HDTV), currently scheduled for 2007. There are many speculations about the changes that HDTV will bring to our viewing experience, including those about viewers becoming tired from the additional visual information, and about the changes in viewing habits. Krugman (1983) suggested that HDTV will provide television audiences with such intense viewing experiences that audience members will want to continue to watch their old standard television set for more relaxing viewing. It seems likely that content may also play a part in the selection of image quality. However, although there are studies that explore television viewers' preferences for HDTV, there has not been an empirical investigation that has explored the psychological responses to improvements in image quality. In this study, I explored MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY, 7,[191][192][193][194][195][196][197][198][199][200][201][202][203][204][205]

The Impact of Video Quality and Image Size on the Effectiveness of Online Video Advertising on YouTube

“…They also suggested that presence appears to be part of the mental state in which persuasion via mediated environments such as the television can be significantly improved. More recently, it was reported that high-definition television (HDTV) viewers experience higher involvement with the television content while they perceive the greater amount of presence [5].…”

“…With the recent wide availability of HDTV, several studies have been conducted to test the effect of image quality. For example, Bracken [5], [20] reported that enhanced image quality in television can generate a strong sense of presence. Bracken [5], in her experiment investigating the level of presence on HDTV, found that the improved image quality on HDTV increased the higher level of presence than that on SDTV over the same content.…”

“…For example, Bracken [5], [20] reported that enhanced image quality in television can generate a strong sense of presence. Bracken [5], in her experiment investigating the level of presence on HDTV, found that the improved image quality on HDTV increased the higher level of presence than that on SDTV over the same content. More specifically, image quality was found to influence various dimensions of presence such as the level of immersion and social presence-passive (i.e., the ability to observe social cues) [5].…”

“…While previous studies have examined the importance of image quality [5] and screen size [6] in the context of television viewing experience, to the authors' best knowledge there exists no prior investigation focusing on the role of online video formats in advertising viewing context. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the impact of video quality and window size on online video advertising.…”

Perceived Multimedia Quality: The Impact of Device Characteristics

“…Although work has been undertaken to assess perceived/subjective media quality in terms of frame rate [1][3], resolution [2], and on specific devices [5] [6],to the best of our knowledge, the question of how subjective media quality is impacted when the same content is viewed across different devices has not been explored.…”