DVR Owners: "From Our Cold Dead Hands"

More than eight out of 10 US digital video recorder (DVR) users surveyed could not live without the devices, according to a July 2008 survey conducted by Consumer Analysis Group for NDS. Respondents also said that DVRs were the second-most-indispensable item of household technology, behind only the mobile phone.

DVR users' TV viewing generally rose with age. Respondents under 30 watched an average of 3.7 hours daily, while middle-aged TV viewers had the TV on for as long as 5.4 hours.

Average Time Spent per Day by US Adult DVR Users Watching Live Broadcast and Recorded TV, by Age and Gender, July 2008 (hours)

The number of DVR households in the US will pass 30 million in 2008 and climb to 48 million in 2012. At that point more than four out of every 10 households will have a DVR.

US DVR Households and Penetration, 2007-2012 (millions and % of TV households)

The recorders are definitely linked with increased TV viewing: The average DVR owner surveyed watched 4.7 hours of television per day—over 1 hour per day more than the 3.7 hours viewed by adults surveyed in June 2008 by The Media Audit.