Digital Video Recorders

Most people used to find the task of programming their VCRs to record their favorite TV shows to be extremely challenging. In 1997 a company called TiVo freed people from this arduous task by simplifying the procedure of recording TV shows so that they were free to watch them later at their leisure.

TiVo invented a device which is known as the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and the company has sold millions of DVRs since it first launched its Series1 DVR. A DVR consists of a hard drive and an operating system. The operating system used by TiVo is Linux based. The Series 1 DVR initially sold by TiVo was made by third party electronics manufacturers like Sony and Philips These Series 1 DVRs required a connection to a phone line in order to complete their set up process and they couldn’t be linked to a home network. TiVo has phased out its Series 1 DVRs but the service still supports them.

Tivo introduced their own brand of DVRs with their Series 2 Tivo. These Series 2 DVRs can be linked to your home network. This model also allows you to record two programs on different channels at the same time while you watch a third previously recorded program. These Series 2 DVRs sets are also manufactured by companies like Sony and HUMAX.

Tivo's latest offering is the Series 3 HD DVR which is capable of recording high definition channels. This DVR can also record two programs simultaneously and it can also be connected to your home network but it still cannot support all the applications of a Series 2 Tivo. The company is working on expanding the applications of this Series3 DVR which the customers will soon be able to download into their units. Other manufacturers like HUMAX, Pioneer and Toshiba all offer DVRs which are compatible with TiVo.

The capacity of your Tivo to record programs depends on the size of the hard drive in the unit and the setting that you choose for the quality of your recordings. Tivos offer four levels of recording quality which are Basic, Medium, High and Best. The Basic setting creates recordings that highly compressed so they take up less space on the hard drive but the quality of your playback may be affected. These settings are ideal for programs which don’t feature much fast paced action. Higher settings are ideal for recording sports programs but they require more space on the hard drive though their playbacks are extremely smooth.

Once the system reaches its maximum capacity, it searches for old programs that it can delete in order to make space for new recordings. TiVo usually deletes the oldest programs first. A Tivo usually costs between $90 and $800 depending on the type of set that you want. Sometimes you can get a set free of charge when you sign up for TiVo service. In the US cable operators like Time Warner Cable supply their customers with DVRs on request and also provide them a recording service like Tivo.