Survey: 40% of Japanese PS3 Users Want 'Torne' Digital TV Tuner

Mar 15, 2010 11:14 Tadashi Nezu, Nikkei Electronics

Do House Inc, a Japan-based marketing support firm, announced the research results on the torne, which enables the PlayStation 3 (PS3) to view and record terrestrial digital broadcasts and will be released by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc (SCE) March 18, 2010.

The torne is a peripheral device consisting of a terrestrial digital TV tuner and applications for viewing and recording TV programs (See related article). According to the research results, about 40% of Japanese PS3 users showed their intention to purchase the torne.

The torne has been drawing PS3 users' attention even though it has not been released yet. For example, a volume retailer in Tokyo has already stopped taking pre-orders though it might be possible to purchase the torne even at such a shop.

Do House sent a questionnaire to 5,889 people whose ages range from 15 to 69 and received valid responses from 645 PS3 users, 44.7% of whom know about the torne. Among them, 37.5% answered that they "want to purchase it very much" or they "want to purchase it to a certain degree."

On the other hand, 35.3% of the respondents answered that they "do not want to purchase it very much" or "do not want to purchase it at all." And 27.1% of the respondents answered that they "neither want nor do not want to purchase it."

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