TiVo, Digital Video Recorders

A digital video recorder (DVR) or personal video recorder (PVR) is a device that records video in a digital format to a disk drive or other medium. more...

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The term includes stand-alone set-top boxes and software for personal computers which enables video capture and playback to and from disk. Some consumer electronic manufacturers have started to offer televisions with DVR hardware and software built in to the television itself. It has also become the main way for CCTV companies to record their surveillance, as it provides far longer recording times than the previously used VCRs.

History

The technological underpinnings of hard-disk based video recorders were tested on July 8, 1965, when CBS explored the possibilities of instant freeze-frame and rewind for sports broadcasts. Ampex released the first commercial hard disk video recorder in 1967. The HS-100 recorded composite analog video onto a 14" diameter hard disk using Frequency modulation. It could store a maximum of only 30 seconds, but could record continuously, and play back 2x normal speed down to still frame.

In 1985, an employee of Honeywell’s Physical Sciences Center, David Rafner, first described a drive-based DVR designed for home TV recording, time-slipping, and commercial skipping. U.S. Patent 4,972,396  focused on a multi-channel design to allow simultaneous independent recording and playback. Broadly anticipating future DVR developments, it describes possible applications such as streaming compression, editing, captioning, multi-channel security monitoring, military sensor platforms, and remotely piloted vehicles.

Hard disk-based DVRs

In June 1999, Steve Perlman deployed the Dishplayer satellite receiver on Dish Network. Within a year, over 200,000 units were sold.

The two early consumer DVRs, ReplayTV and TiVo, were launched at the 1999 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. TiVo shipped their first units on March 31, 1999, and to this day the last Friday in March is celebrated as a company holiday known as 'Blue Moon'. Although ReplayTV won the "Best of Show" award in the video category, it was TiVo that went on to much greater commercial success. The devices have steadily developed complementary abilities, such as recording onto DVDs, commercial skip, sharing of recordings over the Internet, and programming and remote control facilities using PDAs, networked PCs, and Web browsers.

Read more at Wikipedia.org