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address. The personal video recorder (PVR), also called
digital video recorder (DVR) or digital personal video
recorder, is a consumer electronics device that records
television shows to a hard disk in digital format. Since first
introduced by TiVo at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1999,
PVRs have steadily developed complementary abilities, such as
recording onto DVDs.
This makes the "time shifting" feature (traditionally done by
a VCR) much more convenient, and also allows for "trick modes"
such as pausing live TV, instant replay of interesting scenes,
and skipping advertising. Most PVR recorders use the MPEG
format for encoding analog video signals.
The most popular PVRs on the market in the United States are
the TiVo and DNNA's ReplayTV, although most home electronics
manufacturers now offer models. In the UK Sky Plus dominates
the market, though TiVO have a small presence. Many satellite
and cable companies are incorporating PVR functions into their
set-top box, such as with DirecTiVo, Motorola 6xxx from
Comcast, Moxi Media Center by Digeo (available through
Charter, Adelphia, Sunflower, Bend Broadband, and soon Comcast
and other cable companies), or Sky Plus. In this case there is
no encoding necessary in the PVR, as the satellite signal is
already a digitally encoded MPEG stream. The PVR simply stores
the digital stream directly to disk. Having the broadcaster
involved with (subsidizing) the design of the PVR, and
directly recording encrypted digital streams can lead to fancy
features - like the ability to use interactive TV on recorded
shows, pre-loading of programs; but can also lead to too much
control by the broadcaster - like denying the ability to skip
adverts and automatically expiring recordings after a time
determined by the broadcaster.
A DVD recorder is a consumer electronics device that records
analog or digital audio/visual (A/V) signals in a digital
format onto a digital video disc (DVD). DVD recorders are
distinct from digital video recorders (DVRs) in that
they record onto a removable disc (the DVD) instead of a hard
disk. Like a video cassette recorder (VCR), the DVD recorder
has standard A/V inputs and playback functions. Like a DVD
player, the DVD recorder can also be used to play many audio
and video CDs.
DVD recorders first appeared on the consumer market in 1999 in
Japan, and then in 2000 in the rest of the world. Early units
were priced between between 2,500 and 4,000 USD. As of
mid-2004, substantial increases in the quantities available
and in the number of retail outlets selling DVD recorders have
resulted in price reductions of approximately 90% compared to
prices in 2000.
DVDs come in three
major formats: the "minus" (also referred to as "dash") format
(DVD-R and DVD-RW), the "plus" format (DVD+R, DVD+RW
and DVD+R DL), and the DVD-RAM format. Nearly all DVD
recorders use either the minus or plus format, but at least
one available model (in 2004) uses both minus and plus
formats. The minus format is promoted by a group of
manufacturers known as the DVD Forum. The plus format is
promoted by a group of manufacturers known as the DVD+RW
Alliance. Some manufacturers belong to both associations.
As of 2004, both formats seem equally popular with consumers.
While the plus vs. minus "battle" may evoke memories of the
Betamax vs. VHS video format war of the 1980s, consumers are
faced with a less stark choice here in that both plus and
minus formats are compatible with the vast majority of DVD
players now available.
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