News

NDS: Survey Finds Over 70% Of Brits With A Digital Video Recorder Can't Live Without It (7/10/2008)

According to the NDS DVR Report, an international survey of over 1,000 DVR owners:

• Brits rank the DVR as the third most indispensible household item (70%), after the washing machine (95%) and the microwave oven (71%)
• Brits rank the DVR as the second most essential household technology item they can’t live without (78%), beaten only by the mobile phone (80%)
• 62% of Brits with partners say that having a DVR makes for a happier home life

Over 70% of Brits who own a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) say that they can’t live without it, according to a new survey commissioned by NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV.

A DVR or personal video recorder (PVR) lets you record TV shows in digital format to a disk drive within the TV set-top box. NDS technology allows satellite TV subscribers to pause live TV, record, play back, rewind and fast forward their TV programs for viewing when they choose.

Other than the washing machine (95% of respondents) and the microwave oven (71%), no other household item is deemed more essential than the DVR (70%) in today’s UK homes. And when it comes to essential technology gadgets, the DVR (78%) is pipped to the post only by the mobile phone (80%), as the item they can’t live without. Intriguingly, the vast majority of respondents would rather give up their landline phone, dishwasher, radio, hairdryer and MP3 player than their DVR.

The survey also reveals that owning a DVR can make for a happier, less stressful home life. 64% of respondents with families believe that having a DVR has improved family life – which might help to explain why the DVR is ranked so favourably against other household items. Having a DVR also seems to improve relations between the sexes, with respondents who have partners saying that using a DVR has improved their relationship with their partner (62%). One respondent commented: “Having a DVR has taken the stress out of watching telly because no one has to compromise and miss their favourite programmes!”

www.nds.com