Video Recording

While DVD and CD sales remain buoyant (along with other packaged media such as console games) there has been a dramatic shift since 2004 in sales of Digital Video Recorders, notably TiVo-type devices in North America, Sky+ Personal Video Recorders in Britain, and similar devices in mainland Europe.

There are some subtle differences. For example, TiVo can be used as a stand-alone recorder, hooked up to an ordinary TV set. Other versions of TiVo are integrated into more sophisticated satellite or cable systems. Sky+, developed by technology company NDS (who also encrypt DirecTV and BSkyB’s satellite signals), can only be used to receive satellite signals in the UK.

These PVR/DVRs use multiple tuners to record content onto a computer-type hard disk. The multiple tuners allow viewers to select various “trick” modes, fast-forwarding, and replaying while at the same time recording a signal from another channel. Some manufacturers are building units with four—and more—tuners, and ever-larger hard drives to store all this recorded content. The multiple tuners have another advantage, which is to feed programming to different rooms in the home. While the primary TV set, in the sitting room, might house the main TV screen, multiple tuners could feed channels to a bedroom, or child’s room. Most industry observers see these sophisticated models leading on to so-called “home servers”, devices with much greater, terabyte capacity.