More households with widescreen TV and DVD players

Consumer electronics have become a lot cheaper in recent years, and video recorders, CD players and personal computers have now become commonplace. Of the more modern equipment, widescreen TVs and DVD players are most popular.

One in seven households has a widescreen TV

Nearly all households in the Netherlands have colour television. In 2001, 14 percent had a widescreen colour TV. Households without children, in particular, relatively often have a widescreen set.

From video recorder to DVD player

DVD players are seen as the successors to video recorders, which were present in eight out of ten households in 2001. In that year 13 percent of households had a DVD player. Households with children were more likely to have a DVD player. The percentages of households with a mini-disc or an MP3 player were lower: 9 and 3 percent respectively.

CD players and personal computers now commonplace

Nine out of ten households had a CD player in 2001. In 1991 this was only two in ten. Ownership of personal computers, which are more expensive, rose slightly less rapidly in this period: by 2001 nearly seven out of ten households had a PC, three times as many as ten years previously. Three quarters of households without a PC did not want one.

One quarter of households own a video camera

Ownership of video cameras increased more slowly. In 2001 24 percent of households had a video camera, up from 7 percent ten years previously. Couples with children in particular bought video cameras in this period.

Lower prices for video and audio equipment

Prices of video and audio equipment have dropped sharply since 1990. In the period 1990-2001 the prices of data-processing equipment such as a PC fell by two-thirds, while prices of TV sets and video recorders halved.

Ger Linden