Last week TVByTheNumbers posted some numbers from the Television Bureau of Advertising demonstrating how far High Definition Television adoption has to go in the market.

While digital television set sales have soared since 2001, HD adoption seems to have been somewhat slower.

The second graph illustrates the following data:

1. HD Display Capable: A home that is equipped with an HD television that is capable of displaying HD content.
2. HD Capable: A home that is equipped with and HD television and HD tuner capable of receiving signals in HD.
3. HD Receivable: A home that is equipped with an HD television and HD tuner and receives at least one HD network or station.
4. Difference: The percentage difference between the penetration of HD displays (1) and the ability to receive HD content (3).

The growth in the HD Display Segment (ownership of HD sets) and in the HD Capable segment (ownership of both HD sets and tuners) has been steady since 2007.

In the TVByTheNumbers post the gap between owning HD sets and receiving HD content is questioned.

Do that many people buy HD sets well in advance of getting HD programming, or are that many people just unaware of whether they are actually receiving HD programming?

I believe that this gap in the HD chain is due to many factors. Some consumers may be buying HD sets in anticipation of HD signals. Other consumers may be buying their sets and using the sets for purposes other than TV watching (HD DVDs, video games, etc.).

In any case since the beginning of 2009 there has been an marked increase in the slope of the HD Receivable segment, slightly closing the HD gap. Again, it is difficult to gauge why this has occurred. dIs it possible that HD signal coverage growth has accelerated during the past six months? Nielsen does quarterly studies of HD signal penetration in its metered markets but I can’t find any updated results for 2009.

This may be a result of more stations going to HD, as a result of the final push towards the digital transition; as of June 12, 2009, all U.S. TV broadcasts went digital. In any case, at the current rate HD signals may finally become more ubiquitous, reaching almost 3/4 of households within a year.