Is your TV more important than people in your life?

Is your TV more important than people in your life? Probably not .... Of course not??
It is a funny thing really, and a case of what you are used to. In our house, when the tv is on, it is because we are watching it. We are blobbed out in front of it watching things we have recorded earlier. We pause it, or better still, turn it off to talk to each other. It is on for short periods. Our kids screen time is limited to DVDs or pre recorded programs.
So it is really off putting to me when I am visiting someone else's home where the tv is on all the time. Yes I know everyone is different and when in Rome and all that. But here is what it says to me: "we are watching tv right now and we don't want to talk with you". So whether I've walked five minutes or driven 500 km, it feels rather rude to be frank that it is on all the time.
Tv is great. It is entertaining, sometimes educational or thought provoking. It is relaxing at the end of a hard day. But is it more important than connecting with people in your life???