In a sign of the Internet’s widely discussed migration to a video-based space – a change that experts say will require major advances in video compression – nearly one in five U.S. households who use the Web watch TV broadcasts online, according to a new survey.

 

The figure marks a 100 percent increase from 2006, according to a pair of Manhattan-based agencies: The Conference Board, a nonprofit organization, and market research firm TNS (News - Alert).

 

The majority of consumers require flexibility in order to circumvent programmed TV and see what they want, according to the director of the board’s consumer research center, Lynn Franco.

 

“Being able to watch broadcasts on their own time and at their convenience are clearly reasons why we are seeing a greater number turning to the Internet,” Franco said. “And, it is the reason why we would expect to see this trend continue.”

 

The top five types of shows viewed online are news, drama, comedy, reality shows and sports, with user generated content following close behind, the report says.

 

Among consumers connecting to online broadcasts, 43 percent tune into the news, 39 percent watch drama shows, 34 percent view comedies shows, 23 percent watch reality shows, 16 percent view sports, and 15 percent view user generated content. Other categories attracting viewers include previews, additional content from favorite shows, soap operas and advertisements, officials say.

 

If it sounds like too many U.S. households are watching too much, TV, then consider this: According to a new survey of U.S., U.K., Australia and Italy residents, digital video recorders now rank as the second-most essential home technology, trailing only mobile phones.

 

Recorders, such as TiVo (News - Alert) or cable TV’s DVR boxes, are seen as more important than clean clothes from washing machines or hot meals from a microwave, according to Middlesex, England-based NDS, a digital TV solutions provider.

 

According to NDS’ (News - Alert) survey of 1,000 people, seven out of 10 DVR owners say they can’t live without the device. Here’s how the statistic breaks down: 89 percent of Americans, 81 percent of British, 80 percent of Australians and 78 percent of Italians all reported that the DVR has improved how much they enjoy watching television.

 

“Intriguingly, Italians surveyed also ranked the hairdryer higher than a DVR,” NDS officials say. “And when it comes to essential technology gadgets, the DVR is second only to the mobile phone as the item they can’t live without. Intriguingly, the vast majority of respondents would rather give up their landline phone, dishwasher, radio and MP3 player than their DVR.”

 

It isn’t clear whether one of those surveyed was TMCNet’s own Dave Rodriguez, who says in his “Cable Content Connection” blog that his family – owners of both DVR and TiVo systems – tape nearly everything they watch.

 

“The greatest challenge I experience with my DVR’s is the fact that I’m forced to plan my viewing in advance since I can only view time shifted content that I have already decided to record,” Rodriguez says in a recent entry.

 

One of the shows that Rodriguez (and the rest of the cable-watching world) recorded last night was the season five premiere of “Entourage.”

 

“Is everyone as excited as I am about Entourage’s return to the HBO lineup this Sunday?” Rodriguez wrote. “I’ve missed my friends and I can’t wait to find out what they’ve been up to.” Some found the episode disappointing. For my part:

 

1. The writers shouldn’t have needed 25 minutes to get Vince to accept the failure of “Medellin,” especially since the show started six months after the flop at Cannes.

 

2. Apart from Drama’s antics and what it could mean for his future on “Five Towns,” there’s no hook for next week’s show.

 

3. Apart from Drama’s Skype (News - Alert) relationship, there were no story lines beyond the entertainment biz (think of Ari’s son getting into the school, Vince’s infatuation with Mandy Moore, Anna Faris’ jealous boyfriend).

 

4. Where did Billy Walsh land?

 

Interestingly, the new survey found that mobility didn’t have much to do with Internet TV users. Nearly nine out of 10 online TV viewers watch the Web broadcasts at home, while 15 percent say they watch Internet broadcasts in the office, and 6 percent watch TV online from other locations, including the library or a friend’s home.

 

“The shift from appointment TV to content on demand is well underway,” said Michael Saxon, a senior vice president at TNS. “Fundamentally, consumers expect content to be available when they want it, and on the screen of their choice – TV, PC, or mobile. For consumers, PCs enhance content on demand from simply time-shifting to place-shifting. Online content can be viewed in any room in the house, or at work or school.”