Cheaper snacks, too.

A new study confirms what couch potatoes guessed and movie studios have long feared: People prefer to watch movies on their home TV, not in a theater. Even when it's a movie they want to see, 49 percent of respondents said they usually wait to purchase or rent the DVD, according to a report from research firm Guideline Inc.

Only about one-fourth (22 percent) of consumers still go the cinema. "Guideline's study affirms that DVD spending and consumption remain strong with more people enjoying movies from the comfort of their homes than in the movie theater," said Vice President of Marketing Frank Dudley. "However, despite the many movie-viewing options available, a quarter of consumers still prefer the big screen."

Favorite reasons for preferring to go to the movie house include seeing images on the big screen (cited by 46 percent of respondents) and enjoying the active fun of getting out of the house (46 percent), the biggest motivation among young movie-watchers.

While theatrical box office declined slightly last year, DVD sales continue to grow. In 2004, theatrical box office totaled $9.5 billion according to the Motion Picture Association of America, while DVD sales and rentals added up to $21.2 billion, based on research by the Digital Entertainment Group.

Despite the rosy figures however, many technology and media insiders see the days of the DVD as numbered, expecting wireless or broadband delivery to render the discs obsolete within the decade.