世論 What Japan Thinks

[part one] [part two]

This recent survey from Interface In Design into smart television, where the respondents got to compare devices hands-on, produced the surprising result that one Korean model beat three Japanese models in almost every category.

Demographics

Between the 11th and 16th of October 2012 240 people were picked off the street to take part in a Central Location Test, where they could try all the devices under test hands-on. The sample was of people who watched television at home at least thrice a week, and there was a 50:50 split of the sexes in each of four age groups, with 25% in their twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties or older. The televisions under test were all 55 or 52 inch LCDs, Panasonic TH-L55ET5, Sony KDL-55HX850, Sharp LC-52L5 and LG 55LM7600.

I believe that in this test people were aware which television was which, in other words there is nothing that I could see in the survey that suggests that maker names were hidden. This makes the graph here even more suprising, as one would have thought the people surveyed would have been more loyal to their local brands. Even if names were hidden, it still makes grim reading for the Japanese television manufacturers, what with now all three of the makers here having their shares relegated to junk status.
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[part one] [part two]

This recent survey from Interface In Design into smart television, where the respondents got to compare devices hands-on, produced the surprising result that one Korean model beat three Japanese models in almost every category.

Demographics

Between the 11th and 16th of October 2012 240 people were picked off the street to take part in a Central Location Test, where they could try all the devices under test hands-on. The sample was of people who watched television at home at least thrice a week, and there was a 50:50 split of the sexes in each of four age groups, with 25% in their twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties or older. The televisions under test were all 55 or 52 inch LCDs, Panasonic TH-L55ET5, Sony KDL-55HX850, Sharp LC-52L5 and LG 55LM7600.

Note that The Register has an interesting opinion piece on smart television’s software design.
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japan.internet.com recently reported on a survey by goo Research into mobile video use, the fifth time this regular survey has been conducted.

Demographics

Between the 3rd and 6th of September 2012 1,015 mobile phone-using or smartphone-using members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private mobile internet-based questionnaire. 60.3% of the sample were female, 3.4% in their teens, 22.5% in their twenties, 36.3% in their thirties, 26.1% in their forties, and 11.7% aged fifty or older.

Being on a non-unlimited plan, I don’t watch any video on my mobile phone, and anyway I have a portable audio and video device on which I watch video. I’m currently making my way through The Goodies at a one episode per day pace, downloaded to my PC then converted to MPEG4 for consumption on the mobile device.
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With the London Olympics opening at the weekend, now is a good time to look at this survey from Macromill Research into said London Olympics.

Demographics

Over the 20th and 21st of June 2012 500 members of the Macromill monitor group completed a private online questionnaire. The sample was exactly 250:250 male to female, and 25% in their twenties, 25% in their thirties, 25% in their forties, and 25% in their fifties.

I’ll probably watch nothing more than the highlight shows, myself, and perhaps the finals of the short-track athletics.

Looking at the list below, from what I know Kohei Uchimura should easily take gold in the men’s gymnastics, but Kosuke Kitajima is perhaps going to struggle to get gold. Koji Murofushi is over the hill, I think, but the women’s football team should get some colour of medal, although I suppose it depends on who they end up playing against in the knock-out stages.
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In a survey from iResearch reported on by japan.internet.com into SNS usage there was the rather depressing to me result that young folk today are watching the television with one eye and their mobiles with the other, and rather than just yelling at the goggle box they are spewing their thoughts for all to see on Twitter.

Demographics

Between the 12th and 14th of June 2012 300 male and female members of the iResearch online monitor group aged between 20 and 39 who were also SNS users completed a private internet-based questionnaire. No further demographic breakdown was provided.

You may have noticed that this survey is for a change not from goo Research – after a couple of years I have finally found where japan.internet.com hid all their other survey data, so I hope I can have a more varied selection for you in the future!
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goo Research recently took their third regular look at games machines, and according to the report on japan.internet.com, interest in the newest devices is waning.

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 26th of April 2012 1,083 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.8% of the sample were male, 16.3% in their teens, 18.2% in their twenties, 21.2% in their thirties, 16.3% in their forties, and 28.0% aged fifty or older.

The article doesn’t report the question I would like to hear answered, why people are not interested in the new devices. For the PS Vita and Xperia PLAY, is it that normal smartphones do the job well enough, and with various surveys pointing to the majority of those in their twenties now carrying smartphones, a prime target for Sony already derives enough fun from their iPhone, Galaxy or other big-seller?
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japan.internet.com recently reported on a survey conducted by goo Research into video sharing services, and found, not much to anyone’s surprise I would guess, that very few had actually paid for video content online.

Demographics

Between the 10th and 13th of April 2012 1,095 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.9% of the samples were male, 16.6% in their teens, 18.3% in their twenties, 21.6% in their thirties, 16.0% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties, and 11.9% aged sixty or older.

I use video sites sometimes, myself. I keep wondering if I should get into the video blogging business – just straightforward talking head nonsense, but I’ve got a good face for radio, and a good voice for newspapers. I’d probably also need some shtick – I remember being quite impressed a few years ago by someone who did a podcast whilst walking through Tokyo, but it all boils down to that I’m just too shy to do my thing in public!
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goo Research recently conducted their third regular survey into mobile phone video watching, reported on by japan.internet.com, which revealed that more people are watching video on their mobiles.

Demographics

Between the 16th and 20th of March 2012 1,041 mobile phone-using (including smartphone) members of the goo Research monitor panel answered a mobile-phone based questionnaire. 57.7% of the sample were female, 2.5% in their teens, 24.0% in their twenties, 34.2% in their thirties, 28.0% in their forties, and 11.3% aged fifty or older.

Possibly or possibily not connected to this topic is a new broadcast channel for mobile phones that has been launched this month, called Not-tv. Today at the office someone had a program guide, and there was three channels available, but it seemed mostly Korean dramas, US second-tier series, and the occasional minor Hollywood film. The other 7 or 8 One Seg versions of standard television channels are free to view, but this is 420 yen per month, with, as far as I can see, just a chat channel tacked onto the broadcasts for live interaction with the viewers and listeners.
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With the switch-over to digital TV about to complete at the end of this month when the disaster-struck prefectures join the rest of the country in turning off analogue terrestrial broadcasts, this seems like a good time to look with goo Research at how people are using terrestrial digital television, in their third regular report into this topic, as featured on japan.internet.com.

Demographics

Over the 27th and 28th of February 2012 1,087 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.6% of the sample were male, 16.2% in their teens, 18.1% in their twenties, 21.3% in their thirties, 16.6% in their forties, and 27.9% aged fifty or older.

I like the instant weather forecasts, especially as my television knows where I live, so I always get the exact weather for the town, with the default being an 18 to 24 hour forecast, with the weather and temperatures predicted in three hour intervals. My wife heavily uses the EPG programming, but that was available for our old analogue television too. She also once took part in a quiz broadcast along with a program, but I didn’t have the heart (or the stamina!) to explain that because we’ve not got the TV plugged into the internet, nothing was actually being recorded.
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japan.internet.com recently reported on a survey conducted by goo Research into internet television, which is basically a television that instead of (or is it “along with”?) getting a signal over a cable or radio waves, it uses the internet to obtain its content.

Demographics

Between the 10th and 12th of January 2012 1,093 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.2% of the sample were male, 16.3% in their teens, 18.2% in their twenties, 21.6% in their thirties, 16.4% in their forties, 15.4% in their fifties, and 12.2% aged sixty or older.

I’m not really very clear myself on the Unique Selling Point of internet TV, so I can’t say I’ve got any interest. TV should be passive; anything that requires more than a couple of clicks on a remote control is better done on a real computer!
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