Nearly 1,500 US radio stations have prepared their transmitters for HD, but four years after the first HD Radio broadcast, less than half of internet-savvy radio listeners have heard of HD Radio - and some are likely confusing it with satellite - according to research by Paragon.

Just 42% of a nationwide sample of 707 radio listeners age 14-64 who completed an online survey about HD Radio said they are aware of HD Radio, compared with 85% who said they are aware of internet radio and 87% aware of satellite radio.

Among the other findings of the study:

• Of the of the 42% who say they are aware of HD Radio:
  • 35% mistakenly believe HD Radio requires a monthly fee, whereas 40% say there is no fee.
  • 32% mistakenly believe XM or Sirius Satellite radio are example of HD Radio.
  • 62% correctly believe HD expands the number of available stations.
  • 73% correctly believe a specially designed radio is needed to receive HD signals.
  • 84% correctly believe HD makes stations sound better.

• Those who actually own an HD Radio - just 11% of those who have heard of HD - say they are listening to radio more often as a result.

• 85% of those who have heard of HD Radio say they do not own one, and 4% don’t know whether they do.

• Among the vast majority - some 95% - who do not own an HD Radio:
  • If an HD radio were to cost $40, some 81% say they would be likely (very or somewhat) to purchase one.
  • However, if an HD radio were to cost $200, just 36% say they would be likely to purchase one.

• Other findings:
  • Two-thirds of women have never heard of HD Radio.
  • Just 35% of those who have heard of HD Radio are able to name a radio station broadcasting in HD.
  • The top 4 unprompted responses to how listeners would describe HD Radio dealt with improved technical quality (rather than, say, greater number of stations).
  • After hearing a list of attributes, however, two-thirds said, “Yes, there will be more stations with HD Radio.