Video goggles may sound like a futuristic concept, like something out of your favorite science movie, but they are actually one of the most innovative ways to watch movies when you are on commuting on a plane, train, or bus, or when you simply want to watch movies around the house.

The average American spends over 100 hours a year commuting. While most of this commute time is by motor vehicle, a vast majority of business travelers also log in weekly hours on planes, trains, and buses.

The longest and shortest commute states, respectively, are New York and Montana, but when you consider that the shortest is thirty minutes, you can see that this time can really add up, and this statistic does not take into account the time spent by the business travelers and commuters.

This is time that can be spent doing work, reading, and of course, taking a much needed break by watching a favorite movie. In addition, non business travelers in the United States can expect to take at least one plane trip per year, so virtually everyone, then, can benefit from the ability to watch movies privately and on the go.

If you have a video Ipod, you know how convenient it is to be able to download movies online, and take your Ipod with you to watch them wherever you go. Less convenient, however, is the small screen and the sometimes compromised sound quality depending on the type of headphones you have.

Companies that make video goggles have addressed this problem by making eyewear that looks like regular sunglasses, but allows the wearer to watch movies in full screen format, and in some cases, with stereo quality sound. This way, if you don't like the inflight movie, or if the commute has you bored and looking for a distraction, you can literally slip on your glasses and enter your own private movie theater.

You can also use video eyewear to watch movies around the house, which is nice if you want to watch a movie that other people in the house are not interested in. Depending on the model, these glasses allow for peripheral vision correction and have an adjustable viewing range.

It may sound like a futuristic concept, but many major retailers carry these products, and people are taking notice and purchasing them for themselves and as gifts. Video goggles may just replace the way that the family watches TV, together, but separately at the same time.