• by Wayne Friedman , October 1, 2010

It's a larger world for U.S. entertainment consumers: People are buying bigger TVs, more DVR machines, faster Wi-Fi services and newer mobile devices.

In its second-quarter home-technology report, The Nielsen Company says TV sets with screens 41 inches and larger continue to be big sellers. Sales of HDTV sets have grown 26.9% and LCD flat-screen TVs are up 48.2% in the second quarter this year versus two years ago.

Home Internet-broadband access is 3.8% higher in the second quarter of 2010 versus the first quarter of the year. Nielsen says 85.3% of Americans have some kind of Internet access. Wireless (Wi-Fi) home technology has grown by 24% in the last two years.

Time-shifting TV machines are now in 40% of U.S. homes, with the rate of growth still strong, up 14.5% in the second quarter of this year from the first quarter.

Mobile entertainment players -- MP3 units -- are now in almost 50% of U.S. homes. Apple's array of iPod units has a 63% share. Apple's iPad is now in 3.6% of U.S. homes.

But not all entertainment products/services are posting increases.

Nielsen says satellite radio has cooled somewhat, only growing 5.5% over the past two years. DVD players are down 0.6% in the second quarter of 2010 from the first. DVD players are in almost 90% of U.S. homes. The report did not specifically track blu-ray players -- which, according to other reports, are growing.

Older technology video recorder/players and personal digital assistants have witnessed steep declines. VCRs are in 70% of U.S. homes down from nearly 80% two years ago. PDA penetration into U.S. homes has slipped 25.5% since the third quarter of 2008. Much of this decline is due to the rise of mobile smartphones, which incorporate PDA functions.