Dream Tech Gifts Often Baffle New Owners

Dec. 26, 2006 — -- If you're struggling to get your new high-definition TV working with your DVD player, and are too embarrassed to call for help, you're likely not alone.

The complex maze of cables required to get a home entertainment system working has become such a challenge, retailers are quickly expanding their tech support groups to offer house calls for those eager to watch a movie or football game on their new set without a major headache.

"The manual was like Greek," said Colleen Morrison, who bought a high-definition TV for a husband she described as an "avid" New England Patriots fan.

"He was sick of watching … without high definition and I was sick of listening to him, so I broke down and got him a TV," she explained.

But now she needs to learn how to use this new product, and sought help from a retailer to organize the new system.

"We've got this big transition going on from old stuff to new stuff and the new stuff is always more complicated," said Ted Schadler, a consumer technology analyst with Forrester Research. "And consumers are definitely caught by surprise."

From digital cameras to flat screen TVs and MP3 players, this holiday has been all about consumer electronics.

The market research firm NPD Group estimated that sales for technology for the week ending Nov. 25 after Black Friday were up 12 percent from the same period last year, topping $2 billion. And the Consumer Electronics Association estimates that digital television sales for 2006 will hit $20.5 billion, up from $15.6 billion in 2005.

That points to a big demand for Tech 101 as many consumers don't know how to use the gifts they both gave and received.

In a study last year, Forrester Research found 50 percent of households with high-definition televisions don't subscribe to high-definition programming to make the new TVs worthwhile. The analysts also found 34 percent of digital camera owners don't print the pictures they take.

To fill that gap, retailers like Circuit City and Best Buy are expanding their service departments to offer house calls to bewildered consumers.

It's like calling a plumber, said analyst Steve Baker, of NPD Techworld. "If you don't know how to fix the sink, you have to get it fixed, it has to work right," he said.