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Viewers who watch high-def commercials are more likely to remember brands, buy stuff, and have a good time than viewers of standard-def commercials, according to a recent survey.

The study involved viewers of Discovery HD Theater via Charter Communications in Los Angeles. Some watched in HDTV, some in SDTV, and their reactions were tallied by TNS Media Intelligence, on behalf of Starcom, an ad agency.

In short, HD sells. Brand recall tripled. Intent to purchase was 55 percent higher. And more viewers found the ads "highly enjoyable."

"The results were like finding money," said TV Week, though the gravy train may lose momentum as HDTV penetrates beyond the current 30 percent of U.S. TV households and loses its novelty. Beth Rockwood, senior VP of market resources for Discovery, says early HDTV adopters are more "into it.... As it becomes more normal, it won't have as big a lift, but I think that's going to take a while. HD is still pretty special."