"Dollhouse" creator Joss Whedon on the set of the FOX series. (Michael Buckner/Getty Images for FOX)

TV execs can breathe a sigh of relief for now. As it turns out, in spite of all of the hype around Hulu and other streaming sites, they still represent the future of television — and that future isn’t as ominous as you’d think.

Media research giant Nielsen’s quarterly “Three Screen Report” revealed a shocker this week for all the early adopters out there by confirming what television executives have been screaming from the rafters for months:  Contrary to popular opinion, television won’t be replaced by digital video recorders (DVR) and video on demand anytime soon. In fact, most of the video being watched in the United States is being screened on regular old garden-variety boob tubes.  This isn’t a simple or even a significant majority — 99 percent of all video watched here is watched live on traditional televisions. So, even though fans have credited streaming video with saving shows like “Dollhouse” — or blamed it for the cancelation of series like “The Sarah Connor Chronicles” — Hulu and DVR probably won’t save your favorite bubble show, so you can stop sending in those peanuts and bottles of Tabasco, thanks.

However, the big news from the Nielsen report is that someday, they might.  DVR and online video usage are definitely on the rise, jumping up 21 and 35 percent, respectively, over the previous year. What’s interesting is who’s using the technology. Although adults aged 18 to 34 were the only group that preferred watching television on the Internet to using a DVR, 63 percent of all streaming site users are older than 35, suggesting that online video streaming could become even more entrenched over time. What’s even more interesting is the suggestion that Americans aren’t replacing these technologies, but adding them to an ever-growing list of video platforms. Are we slow to commit to new media, or do we just like shiny new toys?

Time will tell if the DVR/Hulu revolution succeeds in overthrowing the rule of traditional television, but we know it’s going to be a while before those execs start reaching for the Glenlivet again.

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