HDTV Adoption Stats ... Mobile Content ... Why (Legal) Net Movie Downloads Haven't Taken Off

- According to Informa Telecoms and Media, a British research firm, the number of homes with high-definition televisions will triple by 2011. Reuters reports:

According to Informa Telecoms and Media, the number of homes taking the product will jump to 151 million worldwide by 2011 from 48 million at the end of 2006 when an estimated 1.2 billion households had a television.

The report said some 58 percent of HD homes were currently found in the United States and 20 percent in Japan, with Britain, Canada, China and Germany also high on the list.

"The falling price of high-definition sets has really caught the public's imagination, and consumer uptake is impressive," Adam Thomas, the report's author said.

But he also said some customers were disappointed with the product as, on some services, there is not always enough content to watch.

- Variety has a trio of good pieces on creating content for mobile phones:

> 'Wireless pros create own content: Suitable programs too costly to buy'

> 'Mobile firms hunt for content: Compelling, economical programs hard to find,' and

> 'Who Shoots Short Shorts: Filmmakers explore small-screen possibilties.'

- Gizmodo has this cheeky list of the ten reasons "why the idea of digital downloads of movies hasn't gained much traction yet." The top three: pricing, selection, and the lack of a path to get Net movies onto the TV screen.