DVD Players Eclipse VCRs In The Home

The percentage of U.S. households with DVD players (81.2%) has surpassed those with VCRs (79.2%), Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday in its third quarter Home Technology Report. In addition, DVD use in the United States was up 6% from the same period a year ago, while VCR penetration has started to decline.

When Nielsen first started tracking DVD player ownership in 1999, the devices were in 6.7% of households, compared with 88.6% owning VCRs. "This study shows the culmination of a long battle for share of consumers," Paul Lindstrom, senior VP of custom research for Nielsen Media, said in a statement.

Other findings in the report show that more than 73% of U.S. homes have a computer, and that more than 95% with Internet access go online at least once a week. More than 78% of online users have bought something from the Web, and nearly 47 % have downloaded and played music.

Wealthier households were more likely to have a computer. Homes with an income of more than $60,000 a year were 50% more likely than those with incomes below $60,000.