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DVR
Product Overview: ..
What
is it and why is it hot - A Digital Video Recorder
(DVR), is very similar to a VCR except that it records to
a hard drive instead of videotape. The functionality is very
similar - you can pause, fast forward, rewind and so forth.
However, DVR's take it much further by allowing consumers
record and manipulate any type of programming they have access
to, whether live or scheduled. Essentially, the way it works
is that the programming from the Cable TV or satellite source
is routed into the DVR unit where the hard drive and built-in
software provides the user with functionality and the ability
to set preferences. A monthly subscription to scheduling information
is required so the unit can allow the user to interact with
any programming via it's software. The main selling premise
is DVRs provide the consumer with a considerable amount control
and convenience when it comes to viewing TV. As of Q2 2004,
about 3.5M people in the US have DVRs in their homes.
How
it's delivered
- Digital Video Recording can be delivered in three ways;
over a network using servers and an access device, from a
stand-alone unit such as a TiVo or hard drive enabled set-top
box, or by PC, where content is recorded down to the computer's
hard drive and then shipped to the monitor or over to regular
TV. In the case of the network enabled DVR's, client/server
architecture is utilized so that programming stored on network
servers can be retrieved from a Cable TV subscriber's set-top
box. Conversely, stand alone DVR's, store the content locally.
Stand alone DVR's come in a few different flavors. First,
there are the home electronics components, such as Tivo, Replay
or any of a number of devices that have integrated hard drives
for TV viewing, then, there are the set-top boxes where DVRs
are integrated with Cable TV and satellite receivers. Stand
alone DVR's are offered by a number of electronic makers and
are purchased at the retail level by the consumer, with Cable
TV set-top boxes being excluded of course. Home computers
that have DVR recording ability are also available, though
for this web page, I will be focusing mostly on network and
stand alone delivery. Generally, with DVR services, a monthly
subscription is required in order to access the programming
information, as is the case with TiVo and Replay (more further
below). Cable TV and Satellite operators may or may not charge
a fee, however.
Features
and benefits
- DVR services provide several compelling features. Users
can pause or rewind a live program or play a program stored
on it's hard drive while recording another. They can play
the beginning of a show that is still in the process of being
recorded. Users can also manipulate TV schedule information
and record programming by actor, genre, time slot or the like.
Similarly, DVR software from companies like TiVo allow a user
to program in their viewing preferences to enable the DVR
to "learn" the user's viewing tastes. The DVR will
then record programming it 'thinks" the user will like.
Like VCR's, DVR's can record at different quality levels and
in many cases fast forward through TV ads, albeit in a much
easier fashion. The end result is an on-demand viewing experience
which gives the viewer much greater control over the types
of programming they prefer to see. Though DVR's have yet to
cross the chasm into mass acceptance, the future is very promising,
and consumers who use the technology are extremely loyal.
Furthermore, sales have only continued to increase over time.
DVR
Big Picture:..
Overview - Having made its
debut at the International Consumer Electronics Show in 1999,
TiVo, which launched as a company in 1997, introduced the
digital video recorder. It was soon to be hailed by pundits
as a technology that could revolutionize the broadcasting
industry. The DVR industry, which has mainly consists of TiVo
and Replay, came into being at the high point of the Internet
boom. Early DVRs cost about $500 apiece and were mostly purchased
by a tiny group of high-tech hobbyists. Easy financing meant
both DVR start-up companies could afford to subsidize their
consumer electronics (CE) manufacturing partners such as Sony,
Philips, Panasonic and Thomson. They put in around $200 per
box for every device sold in order to gain market shar |
