Control your TV with digital video recorders

By Ron Miller

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Long ago, the networks set up a broadcast schedule and you had to be there or you missed the show—plain and simple. In the 1980s, VCRs introduced the concept of "time shifting" to some extent, but it wasn’t until the late 1990s when digital video recorders (DVRs) were introduced that consumers gained total control of their televisions. DVRs let you record a show to a hard dive—you can stop, rewind, and replay—just as though you were in the control room at the network. And, of course, you can fast-forward through commercials.

This article looks at four DVR options:

• TiVo
• DVR service from your cable or satellite provider or phone company
• PC solutions
• A generic DVR

We have also prepared a short video tutorial that reviews these options here.

DVR Overview

In spite of the convenience and control the DVR provides, Jupiter Media reports that only around 17 percent or approximately 18.5 million homes in the U.S. will own one by the end of this year (see the figure above). Todd Chanko, an analyst at Jupiter Media, points out that after 10 years adoption is still low, especially compared to the DVD player, which had 65 to 70 percent penetration after 10 years and the VCR, which was in virtually every home by that time. Perhaps, Chanko suggests, it’s because you can buy a VCR or DVD player and never pay another dime in fees.

That could be part of the reason. There are no-fee options, however, such as the PC or generic DVR, but these require a certain level of technical savvy for set up and maintenance that might be more than the average homeowner can handle. That leaves you with two options: TiVo, or a cable or satellite provider. TiVo requires you to buy the box, pay a subscription fee and then set it up yourself, while cable and satellite providers handle installation and set up in exchange for a monthly (subscription) fee. Prices vary based on such factors as hard drive size and whether the unit records high-definition broadcasts.

TiVo is probably the most recognized DVR brand (see a sample screen shot above), yet controls only 4.5 million subscribers (2.5 million of which subscribe through DirecTV). “In an irony of business history, the company that invented the industry, TiVo, actually occupies a minority role in the DVR universe,” Chanko says. You need to purchase a TiVo DVR and remote control, set up the unit yourself, and then pay a monthly subscription fee to run the TiVo service. (Note that you can purchase TiVo service when you buy certain other DVR brands.) Prices vary depending on the length of your contract and the type of TiVo you purchase. In addition, it is possible to connect your TiVo to a home computer network with additional hardware (for an additional fee). You can also access a TiVo scheduling guide on the Web to schedule programming on your TiVo from anywhere you have Internet access and use TiVo To Go service to transfer recordings to an external mobile video player, services that other options don’t offer.

Chanko points out that TiVo is the only service that monitors your viewing habits such as which shows you record or how often you skip commercials, and sells aggregated information. He adds that TiVo is also the only vendor that will suggest programming based on your viewing habits, a feature some viewers may like, but one Chanko finds disturbing. “TiVo has the peculiar habit of coming up with suggestions. ‘I see you are watching ER, you might also want to watch Scrubs.’ I find it creepy,” he says.

Cable and satellite providers set up and install the DVR for you. DishNetwork’s DVR Interface is shown here.

Satellite, Cable and the Phone Companies

With this option, you call your cable or satellite provider and it handles all installation and maintenance. Comcast spokesperson Jenny Moyer says customers don’t have to deal with equipment decisions. “With our DVRs, you do not have to purchase additional equipment or have a phone connection. We provide one digital set-top box, and you pay $9.95 [additional] a month. If there are technical innovations, we can swap out the box and you don’t have to buy a new one,” Moyer says. The satellite companies offer a similar arrangement. Networking capabilities vary depending on the service and the set-top box the vendor uses.

Chanko says, the pay TV model, while convenient, offers consumers little in the way of choices, although Comcast announced an agreement with TiVo in January to offer Comcast subscribers a TiVo option delivered through the standard set-top box. Moyer says this is still in the trial stage and will go into market testing sometime in the spring. Meanwhile, DishNetwork recently began offering a high definition DVR in addition to its standard offerings.

Phone companies such as Verizon are getting into TV service as well. Verizon is offering the FiOS service, which delivers TV, voice and Internet services over fiber optic cable. It is currently available in 16 states, with 10 offering the TV service. Verizon offers two DVR choices with the TV service, including an HD/DVR set top box for $12.99 and a true multi-room DVR set-top box for $19.99. With the latter, you can have the single DVR and watch up to three different recordings on three televisions at the same time. What's more, this service includes Media Manager, which provides additional services including a soon-to-be-available enhanced search function that enables you to search not only recorded material on the DVR, but also on-demand content and even content you have stored on a PC or home network.

Rolling Your Own DVR on a PC

If you have the technical skill, you can install a TV tuner card in your PC and connect a satellite or cable connection to the card. After you install DVR software such as GBPVR, an open source video recorder, or SnapStream’s Beyond TV 4, you can watch TV and record programs on your PC. Rakesh Agrawal, president and CEO of SnapStream Media, says that approach gives you complete control over the recording process with no monthly fee. What’s more, he says, it’s easy to move content to mobile devices or to record to DVD. He believes that as more computers come equipped with a PC Tuner card, much like they do with a graphics or sound card now, it will reduce the set up effort and increase the popularity of this approach, but he admits, for now at least, it requires some technical know-how. (See the screen shot below of the SnapStream software.)

It’s also worth noting that Windows XP, Media Center Edition and Vista Home Premium and Ultimate come with DVR software, but not necessarily with a requisite TV tuner card.

Generic DVRs

You can buy a DVR such as the offerings from Phillips, JVC or Panasonic from any store that sells TVs and electronics, install it yourself, download your cable guide to the DVR and you are good to go. Those at least require some technical savvy to install and set up (but probably not much more than a DVD player), but once installed there are no additional monthly fees (unless you buy one with a service). You can add a unit like this to your home network, but many designed to integrate easily can run over $1000.

Digital video recorders change the relationship between you and your television, allowing you to watch at your convenience and control the TV experience. Consider your options and find the solution that meets your needs, but once you have one, you will wonder how you ever watched TV without it.