CAN YOU PROGRAM YOUR VCR?; NEARLY EIGHT IN TEN U.S. FAMILIES RECORD TV PROGRAMS ON THEIR THEIR VCR, EIA/CEG SURVEY FINDS.

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 1995--Ninety percent of US households have a VCR, and more than three quarters of them use the equipment to record television programming, according to a national survey released today by the Consumer Electronics Group of the Electronic Industries Association (EIA/CEG).

"In the past, many consumers had trouble programming their VCRs, and the equipment was used primarily to play to pay prerecorded movies," said Gary J. Shapiro, EIA/CEG group vice president. "But with today's technology, video recording is a snap and 77 percent of VCR owners are now taping television programs."

According to EIA's survey of 1,000 households, 12 percent record television programs daily, 24 percent record one or more times each week, 20 percent record once or twice a month, and 21 percent record programming a few times a year.

Only 23 percent say they never record television programming.

Movies or miniseries are the most frequently recorded programs followed by special events, episodes from a weekly series, sporting events, and episodes from a daily series.

"Recording allows consumers to watch programs when it's convenient for them," Shapiro said. "And it also enables families to create libraries of quality programs as well as coverage of momentous news and sports."

Why are more consumers taping than ever before? "Consumer friendly" VCRs which are much easier for consumers to use to time-shift and record programs than some of the first VCRs that come to market," says Shapiro.

Shapiro added that another measure of the popularity of recording is the sales of blank VHS tapes.

"Our Market Research Department reports that factory sales of blank VHS tapes total more than $500 million per year," he noted.

When asked what would improve the quality of their recordings, a third of VCR owners said a sharper picture, 8 percent said better sound quality, 3 percent said better color quality, and 39 percent opted for all three.

Digital VCR, which is currently under development, will offer sharper, clearer pictures than is currently possible. When digital VCR was described to them, 29 percent of the VCR owners said they would be interested in purchasing it. Forty-seven percent were not interested and the remaining 22 percent were in between.

Twenty-five percent of the respondents said they would be willing to pay $400 for a digital VCR; 11 percent would pay $600; three percent would pay $800; and five percent would pay $1,000. At the low end, 21 percent would pay $200 and ten percent said they would be willing to pay less than $200.

"We know that there are high levels of consumer satisfaction with current VCRs and other home equipment," Shapiro said. "However, the research also shows that consumers are interested in -- and willing to purchase -- equipment with new technologies."

Camcorders, Shapiro added, are an example of a consumer electronic product that introduced new technologies and has gained a solid foothold in the market.

In fact, according to EIA's research, 27 percent of American families own a camcorder. Of those, 32 percent said they would be interested in products that would allow digital recording on the camcorder.

The telephone survey was administered to a representative sample of 1,000 households. Calls were made using industry standard random-digit-dialing techniques and the margin of error for the entire sample is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

EIA is the 71-year-old Arlington, VA-based trade association representing all facets of electronics manufacturing. EIA's Consumer Electronics Group represents U.S. manufacturers of audio, video, home office, mobile electronics, multimedia and accessories. -0-

EDITORS: Please note that information regarding the Consumer Electronics Shows and the Consumer Electronics Industry is available via EIA Online, on the CompuServe OnLine service or EIA's WorldWide Website "The Cyberspace Companion." To access EIA Online contact Alan Haber at 703-329-1380 or at e-mail address [e-mail] or the CE Cyberspace Companion address is http://www.eia.org/ceg.

CONTACT: Electronics Industries Association (EIA), Arlington

Cynthia Upson, 703/907-7674