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TimeShifting
Personal TV (Digital Video Recording,
DVRs)
The term "Digital Video Recorders (DVR)"
on this webpage is
synonymous with the older term "Personal Video Recorder (PVR)."
Timeshifting
- (a.k.a. Time
Shifting,
File-served Television, Time Delay Recording, Digital Video Recorder
{DVR}, Time-shifted TV, Timeshift-TV, Digital-video-recorder, Personal Video Recorder
{PVR}, Hybrid PVR, Personal TV, Multiroom DVR, PTV, Personalized TV,
Personal TV
Service, TV-placeshifting, In-Home PVR, Time-Shifted Video (In-Home
PVR), Time-Shifted Video (Network PVR), Personal TV Receiver, PTR,
Personal Video
Station, PVS, Hard Disk Recorder, HDR. (May also be known as: Individualized TV,
though more often in Europe}. Other hardware that can be
associated with timeshifting include VCR, the Digital VCR, Digital
Videocassette Recorder, Personalized TV Playback Devices, Digital Disk
Recorder, Home Media Server, Virtual VCR, IP Media Appliance, Digital
Network Recorder, Digital Videotape Recorder, Digital Storage Unit,
PC-based DVR). (Loosely
associated would be Videodisc Recorders
and Players.) Personal
TV as a term gets used more often in Europe now-a-days than the States.
In the States the terms Time shifting, ("Time Shifting"), "DVR" and
"Media Center" are now more prevalent than "Personal TV."
(1) You timeshift video or
audio programming when you record it and later view it or hear it
locally. (If you record programming and later view it somewhere else
via a network, then it's both timeshifted and "placeshifted".) Timeshifting allows you to watch
video programming when you want to and thus not be limited to having to
watch it when your network
operator schedules it, (a.k.a.
Appointment
TV.) Typically video
timeshifting devices come with DVD-like features such as slow motion,
fast forward, rewind and pause. The device can continue to record a
program while you watch another program. It might come with enhanced
features such as high definition recording, interactive advertising,
interactive
program guide, Internet
connection, home
networking and related
security features (CCTV).
The digital video recorder
(DVR) set-top box typically is a standalone device that digitally
records video to a disk drive or other medium. While set-top boxes and
gaming consoles can offer digital video recorder functions, DVRs can
also come in the form of software for PCs. With the later, viewers can
watch TV on their PCs and possibly send PC-based, or gaming console
based DVR recordings to their TV via a media
extender.
While TV timeshifting is a
term most often used in regard to digital video recorders (DVRs), but
can be relevant to any video recording and viewing device that has
access to an adequate-size hard drive, such as a video iPod or PC. With
a PC-based DVR, typically software is downloaded to the computer and
the computer's hard drive is utilized. (A TV tuner card or equivalent
will most likely be necessary.) A DVR "card" may be used.
Timeshifted TV is the viewing
of live television programming in a manner that gives the viewer
options such as:
- The ability to playback
recorded programming without commercials, or skip blocks of commercials
- Send programs from one room
to another between networked units
- One-touch recording with
on-screen channel guide (a type of Electronic Program Guide)
- Often recording programming
is easier with a DVR compared to recording on a VCR.
- Pause, rewind, instant
replay, slow-motion and frame advance, depending on the motel, at a
variety of different speeds
- Depending on the DVR's
capacity, record up to hundreds of hours of television before having to
erase any previously recorded shows
- Store and view your digital
photos on TV
- You can send shows to others
who own like units. (a.k.a. Box
to Box Networking. Most often a broadband connection is needed for
this)
- If it has this feature, your
DVR unit can automatically search for and record shows by keyword or
theme (i.e. programming you prefer.) If you want your unit to search
for and record all the programming that has a particular actor/actress
in it, the DVR can automatically do that for you, whether you knew
those shows had him/her in it or not
- You can use your remote to
jump past the show's boring parts
- You can use a broadband
connection or your standard phone line for access
- You can program your unit
while away from home using the Internet
- You can use your unit as an
online gaming console
- Watch HDTV through it
- Provide picture-in-picture
capabilities on any TV
- Record as many as two
programs at the same time while watching a third pre-recorded program
- Record programming on your
DVR unit and send it to a portable
media device for viewing while away from the actual DVR unit.
Because the incoming signal is digitized
and the DVR is an advanced digital set-top box,
it's possible that the use of a DVR will enhance the picture quality.
Digital Video Recorders
(DVRs) are used both to digitally record, and play back programming.
Your network operator (cable company, telco, satellite company,
etc.) sends the content (TV shows, news, etc.) and you plug your line
(feed) from your network operator into the DVR "unit" using a
compression scheme such as MPEG.
The unit saves the incoming live TV signal on its hard drive. Generally
put, the viewer's DVR unit compresses the signal of the live TV show,
saves it on it's hard drive and then with a very short delay, the DVR
plays it for the viewer. Literally the viewer is watching it off of
their hard drive, not straight from the antenna, satellite, telco or
cable connection as they're used to.
Traditional TV content
suppliers (such as cable networks, TV studios and broadcast networks
(NBC, CBS, ABC etc.) are offering legal challenges as people can alter
the TV programs that they receive, in particular skip commercials and
other parts of the programming they find aggravating.
Time shifted digital video
recording can be software-based (but generally still needs access to a
hard-drive, such as in your computer.)
(2) Timeshifting may also refer to the availability of network
affiliates from different time zones and places, (something there's an
incresing number of thanks to Internet TV.) These stations make
television programming available at additional times throughout the day.
(3) Video on Demand
is a type of Timeshifting.
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"Personal TV" is a term unrelated to timeshifting that some companies
use for their service that lists customer's favorite programs as well
as scheduling and information about those programs.
"Personal TV" is also a term sometimes used (primarily in the past)
interchangeably for Enhanced TV
or Interactive TV.
Churn
Placeshifting
Network
DVRs - (Remote Server-Digital Video Recorder, RS-DVR, Remote-storage Digital
Video Recorder, Remote-storage DVR.)
Telco
TV providers can provide
RS-DVR service also due to their larger bandwidth capacity than
satellite TV.
DVR DEMOS
More Definitions and Sites Related
to Timeshifting (Personal TV):
Various Related Definitions
Related Articles from the Past
If an article doesn't come up try copy
and pasting its URL into http://www.archive.org.
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