Bradford's Asian families are at the vanguard of the technical revolution, cramming their homes with more and more of the latest gadgets.

Asians are twice as likely as other families to have DVD players and more likely to have PCs, games consoles and internet connections.

The figures are revealed in a survey which paints a fascinating picture of Asian family life in Bradford and across Britain.

Sky TV researchers discovered that three out of four British Asians have access to the internet, compared to a national average of 50 per cent.

And 31 per cent of Asian families have DVD players, more than double the UK average.

The findings also reveal that six out of ten Asian families have multi-channel TV and that three-quarters feel under-served by the mainstream terrestrial channels. But many also do not like the 24 Asian satellite TV channels to which they can subscribe.

Nine out of ten Indian families are avid cinema-goers, but among Pakistanis the figure falls to less than half. Bollywood movies are among the most popular draws.

The Sky survey is said to be the first of its kind on viewing habits in Asian homes. It was commissioned to mark the tenth anniversary of Asian satellite TV broadcasting in the UK.

Bradford Bollywood expert Irfan Ajeeb welcomed the findings. "It's an absolutely fascinating survey," he said.

Mr Ajeeb, film programmer at the National Museum of Photography, Film and Tele-vision, added: "The figures highlight an increasing competitive streak among Asian families.

"When people become successful businessmen or professionals they want to be seen to have the best equipment in their homes. They want to be better than next door.

"I don't know of a single Asian family now that doesn't have a DVD player."

The survey also highlights the importance of home entertainment among the Asian community, Mr Ajeeb said.

"People watch a lot of TV because they have less to do. It's not the norm to go out to a pub or club. That's why there's such a high take-up of digital channels. You also find three generations very often living in one house, so staying at home is a social event in itself."

But the extended families in some households gave rise to viewing conflicts, the survey found.

Younger viewers are "very unlikely" to watch Asian TV channels while nearly half of their parents watch a combination of Asian and non-Ethnic channels.

Of the mainstream channels, 85 per cent rated BBC1 as "essential", compared with none at all for Channel Five.

Mr Ajeeb said: "There is an identity crisis among young Asians. They don't know if they can be English and Pakistani at the same time.

"Parents make vain attempts to make their kids listen to Asian radio stations because they don't want their children to lose sight of their culture."

Research director Saber Khan said: "The survey shows for the first time that ethnic media consumption is high. Multi-channel TV now plays the major role in meeting TV demands of Asians."