The State of the (DVR) Union

The state of digital video recording (DVR) technology today is very good indeed -- so good, in fact, that it's almost assumed at the higher video tiers: "Wait -- the package doesn't include DVR? What's up with that?" Not bad for a technology that most cable subs had never even heard of 10 years ago.Far from becoming a "mature technology," DVR is still expanding. Data from Centris Research indicates 52% growth in DVR use since the first quarter of 2008. Also, research house In-Stat recently forecast hard disk drive (HDD) shipments to reach 1 billion units by 2014, with much of that growth driven by DVRs in set-top boxes.Norm Bogen, In-Stat's VP of digital entertainment, says in a statement, "Among consumer applications, external HDDs are the second largest segment behind DVRs and will double in unit volume between 2010 and 2015."Much of the recent cable activity around DVR tech involves TiVo. The company has recently partnered with Charter for IP video, Suddenlink in Texas and overseas with UK op Virgin Media.On the pure tech front, Concurrent was recently awarded a network DVR patent, and in November Evolution Digital launched a cable portal for TiVo. Other deployments and partnerships have included NDS in Portugal, Samsunghookups with Comcast and Time Warner Cable, and a multitude of multi-screen plays.To get up to speed on all of BTR's DVR coverage, click here.Ron Hendrickson is a reporter at BTR. Contact him at [email protected].