The End Of The VCR EraThe End Of The VCR Era

The VCR, once the most popular home movie player, is fading, victim of the consumer preference for DVDs, market research shows.

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.