One-third of Americans own 4 or more TVs

Americans just can't get enough television, or own too many TVs either apparently.

Despite any economic downturn, Americans are buying more TVs. So many that one-in-three U.S. households now own four or more TVs, according to new data from Nielsen.

TVs easily outnumber people in most households, while a growing number of Tampa Bay households own six or seven TVs.

"We have eight TVs and four people in the house, so nobody can complain about not being able to watch what they want," said Andrew Cox of Lithia. Cox has a TV in the family room, in a game room, kitchen, bedroom, guest bedroom, office, and one in the kid's play room.

Cox said he actually doesn't watch much TV, but records all the sports he can, and watches action series 24 on Fox. His wife likes Desperate Housewives and the kids either like the Discovery Channel or Hanna Montana. "I think my favorite TV is out by the pool," he said, "because there's a grill out there."

As for that prototypical nuclear family all gathered around one TV - just 16 percent of homes fit that description.

One big reason for this TV tidal wave: The upgrade to HDTV.

The average price of an HDTV has fallen well below $1,000. And when a big, new HDTV comes in the house, it often means the old set gets relegated to other rooms in the house. The growth of video gaming also helped the trend, with more kids having a TV in their own room.

And Americans are watching those TV more than ever, one big reason why the Average American household may spend $1,000 each year on cable TV, Internet and video games, according to the Census Bureau. That doesn't count the cost of cell phones or data plans for BlackBerries or iPhones.

The average American watches 31.5 hours of TV a week, just over an hour a day short of counting as a full time job. (Kids 6 to 11 years old watch 22.5 hours a week.)

Watching TV on the computer is definitely becoming more popular, with millions of viewers watching shows on Hulu or through iTunes.

But Americans are far from giving up traditional TV on the couch, remote control in hand. Almost 99 percent of video watched in the U.S. was on a traditional TV. A big reason is that more TVs can connect directly to the Internet, bypassing the computer altogether, to reach movies on services like Netflix.

One in four new TVs are set up this way, according to equipment tracker iSupply.

That kind of multi-use is one reason Larry Ficca of Tampa gradually came to have five TVs in his house.

First one in the living room, then one for a daughter, then in the kitchen, then in a room addition, then another kid's room, "and before you know it we have five, Ficca said. "I can stand in one spot in the house and see three."

The concept of "multi-tasking" may have started in the business world. But Americans are proving agile at absorbing media of all sorts - simultaneously, said Dounia Turrill, a senior vice president at Nielsen.

They watch TV with a notebook computer in their lap to post updates on Facebook. They hold the TV remote in one hand and a cell phone in the other, sending tweets to their friends.

During the Super Bowl on CBS, 14 percent of viewers were simultaneously surfing online up from 12 percent the year before.

During the Olympics opening ceremonies on NBC, 13 percent of viewers were also surfing the Web, Turrill said, with 41 percent on Facebook, 38 percent on Google and 35 percent on Yahoo.

Ficca, a former captain in the Tampa Fire Department, said at any given time, one person in his house could be watching TV, another on video conference via Skype, another doing homework with kids online, all while he has a TV on while running his hauling business from home, all through one Verizon broadband connection.

"We've also got a TV in the travel trailer," Ficca said. "But I guess we don't count that one."

Meanwhile, it's possible America could see another wave of new TV purchasing. Companies like Sony and Panasonic are pushing a new generation of TVs that project in three dimensions.