Only 11% of customers who purchase a high definition television do so because of its 3D capabilities, according to the J.D. Power and Associates' "2012 High Definition Television (HDTV) Report." I'm not surprised as people don't like wearing those wonky 3D glasses at home. Who knows? Perhaps Apple can change this.

The J.D. Power report examines satisfaction with HDTVs among customers who purchased one in the past 12 months. The report measures HDTV satisfaction across six factors (listed in order of importance): performance and reliability; ease of operating; competitiveness of the price paid; styling and appearance; variety of features; and warranty.

The report finds that 75% of customers indicate price was a reason they purchased their HDTV, followed by brand reputation (60%); positive reviews (37%); past experience with the brand (36%); quality of construction (33%); availability (31%); styling of the TV (29%); ease of use (21%); and 3D capability (11%).

"While still finding its niche, 3D HDTV capability is not a leading force in purchasing a television," says Sara Wong Hilton, a director at J.D. Power and Associates. "One reason is that 3D HDTVs are typically more expensive than non-3D-capable HDTVs. Additionally, in order to view 3D media, special media players, and 3D glasses in some cases, are required. The extra cost could play a role in dissuading customers from adopting the technology at this point."

If Apple does release its own branded HDTV (the rumored "iTV") it could be the company that "masters" at-home 3D. I wouldn't be surprised if an Apple television, should one actually materialize, offer glasses-free 3D viewing using either Apple-developed technology or something such as Ultra D (see http://macte.ch/ZG0Xd).

Also, among survey respondents in this particular study, more customers purchased an LCD HDTV (41%), compared with an LED (33%) or plasma (19%) HDTV, and half (50%) purchased a 41- to 50-inch television, more than any other size available.

Vizio ranks highest in customer satisfaction with a score of 887 (on a 1,000-point scale), followed by Sharp (878) and LG Electronics (875). Vizio ranks highest in five of six categories: performance and reliability; ease of operating; competitiveness of the price paid; styling and appearance; and warranty. Sharp ranks highest in the variety of features factor.

-- Dennis Sellers