Digital video recorder

• 1. Origins And Prototypes

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  In 1985, Hitachi demonstrated a prototype digital video tape recorder that used digital recording video tape as storage media to record digital HD video content. Fujitsu, Sanyo, and Canon Inc also developed prototype high-definition digital video recorders during the same decade. The first commercial digital video recorder arrived in 1987 when Sony released the DVR-1000. This device recorded digital video content on D-1 digital video cassettes. These early machines relied on magnetic tape rather than hard drives for storage. Engineers at these Japanese companies sought to create systems capable of handling high-definition signals without the degradation common in analog formats.

• 2. Hard Disk Revolution

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  Tektronix introduced the Profile series PDR100 Video Disk Recorder in early 1995. This machine recorded and played back video stored directly on a hard disk using motion JPEG compression. Sweden's TV4 utilized the PDR100 extensively while building a new facility in Stockholm. NBC deployed similar units at the Olympic games held in Atlanta Georgia later that year. The Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award recognized this achievement at the 1996 Primetime Emmy Awards. The U.S. Patent Office granted Tektronix patent number 5,642,497 in 1997 for two key claims related to the Profile system. Stanford University Computer Science department developed a working disk-based DVR prototype in 1998 under Edward Y. Chang's PhD dissertation. Professors Hector Garcia-Molina and Jennifer Widom supervised the research project. Two design papers emerged from this work at the 1998 VLDB conference in Athens Greece and the 1999 ICDE conference in Florence Italy. Pat Hanrahan's CS488 class demonstrated the prototype to industrial partners including Sony, Intel, and Apple.

• 3. Consumer Market Launch

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  ReplayTV and TiVo launched their consumer digital video recorders at the 1999 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Microsoft demonstrated a unit with DVR capability but did not make it available until the end of 1999 for full features in Dish Network's DISHplayer receivers. TiVo shipped its first units on the 31st of March 1999. ReplayTV won the Best of Show award in the video category with Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen serving as an early investor and board member. Ad Age cited Forrester Research stating that market penetration by the end of 1999 was less than 100,000 units. Toshiba introduced a combination DVR in 2001 allowing video recording on both DVD recordable media and hard disk drives. Media companies forced ReplayTV to remove many features such as automatic commercial skip and internet sharing capabilities. Newer devices steadily regained these functions while adding complementary abilities like recording onto DVDs and programming via PDAs or Web browsers.

• 4. Integration And Evolution

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  Dish Network demonstrated hardware with DVR capability at the 1999 CES using Microsoft software which included access to the WebTV service. By the end of 1999 the Dishplayer had full DVR capabilities and over 200,000 units were sold within a year. British Sky Broadcasting marketed a popular combined receiver and DVR called Sky+ starting in 2001. The UK platform Freeview+ has existed since the late 2000s although the Pace Twin model dates back to 2002. TiVo launched a UK model in 2000 but is no longer supported except for third party services. Virgin Media continued TiVo operations in 2010. South African based Africa Satellite TV beamer Multichoice recently launched their DVR available on their DStv platform. Many satellite, cable and IPTV companies incorporated digital video recording functions into set-top boxes including DirecTiVo, DISHPlayer/DishDVR, Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8xxx from Time Warner, Total Home DVR from AT&T U-verse, Motorola DCT6412 from Comcast, and Moxi Media Center by Digeo. Astro introduced their Astro MAX system as the first PVR in Malaysia before phasing it out two years later.

• 5. Security Applications

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  Digital video recorders configured for physical security applications record video signals from closed-circuit television cameras for detection and documentation purposes. A Lorex 4K NVR serves as an example of a security digital video recorder used in surveillance systems. These devices evolved into feature-rich units providing services that exceed simple video image recording previously done through VCRs. Security DVR CCTV systems offer advanced functions including video searches by event, time, date, and camera. Some latest professional digital video recorders include video analytics firmware enabling virtual tripwire functionality or detection of abandoned objects on scene. PC-based DVR architecture resembles a classical personal computer with video capture cards designed to capture video images. Embedded type DVRs are specifically designed as digital video recorders with operating systems contained in firmware or read-only memory. Systems may be configured with very large numbers of inputs by networking individual DVRs together using coaxial cable, twisted pair, or optical fiber cables.

• 6. Legal Battles Over Copyright

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  In 1985, David Rafner, an employee of Honeywell's Physical Sciences Center, described a drive-based DVR designed for home TV recording and commercial skipping. U.S. Patent 4,972,396 focused on multi-channel design allowing simultaneous independent recording and playback. The first DVR with built-in commercial skipping feature appeared in 1999 when ReplayTV launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Five owners of the ReplayTV DVR sued main television networks and movie studios in 2002 asking federal judges to uphold consumer rights to skip commercials. SONICblue purchased ReplayTV in 2001 and filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2003 after fighting copyright infringement suits over commercial skipping abilities. DirecTV purchased remaining assets of ReplayTV in 2007. On the 14th of July 2005, Forgent Networks filed suit against EchoStar, DirecTV, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, Comcast, Time Warner, and Cable One alleging patent infringement. Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola filed counter-suits claiming products did not violate patents. Cablevision Systems Corp lost a legal battle against Hollywood studios in March 2007 but won its appeal on the 4th of August 2008. John M. Walker Jr., a Second Circuit judge declared technology would not directly infringe media companies' rights. In 2004 TiVo sued EchoStar Corp for patent infringement reaching settlement in 2011 where EchoStar paid one-time fees granting full lifetime rights to disputed patents. AT&T settled similar suit brought by TiVo in January 2012 with cash payments totaling $215 million through June 2018 plus incremental recurring monthly license fees. Fox Broadcasting sued Dish Network in May 2012 arguing automatic recording and commercial skipping was copyright infringement. The 9th circuit rejected Fox's claims in July 2013.