Does HDTV Solve The Engagement Condundrum?

In a story about advertisers' slow adoption of high-definition television, TVWeek.com observed:

Conventional wisdom holds that HD spots lead to increased viewer engagement, something advertisers hunger for in the DVR age of commercial-skipping. Sony Chairman and CEO Howard Stringer said at an industry event that there are people "who would rather watch grass grow in HD than tune in to a football game in standard definition." In that vein, advertisers think compelling ads that take advantage of the superior sound capabilities, pristine picture and wider screen of HD stand a better chance of cutting through the clutter than traditional spots.

HD is awesome, without a doubt. But there still are a few other outstanding issues: relative clutter (regardless of definition) is increasing, attention is eroding and owners of HDTV are almost certain to have a DVR. Is HDTV an answer to a problem, or is it simply a nice quality standard that inevitably will become ubiquitous?

(Photo Credit: FLC)