[Wayde]

Cablevision Systems is an American Cable TV provider that services the United States east coast region including the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The communications company is testing a new system dubbed “Remote Storage Video Recorder” a cross between PVR (Personal Video Recorder) and On Demand Cable TV. Subscribers will have the ability to pause, fast-forward, rewind or record subscribed programming from their cable line-up. It will require no new hardware or hard drive installed at the subscriber’s residence that can benefit even with an existing digital Cable TV terminal. Storage will be maintained at the cable companies head end so no local storage is necessary. Subscribers will have 45 hours of programming storage and will be able to record two shows simultaneously while watching a third recorded program.

Cablevision Systems will begin testing the new system first in Long Island, New York. The communications company promises that RSVR will cost less than renting a PVR system from most cable companies.

The announcement from Cable Systems comes soon after AT&T’s CEO Ed Whitacre made threats to the status quo of the Cable TV industry with IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) which he promises is due to some AT&T and Bell South customers by the end of the year. Could it be that Cable Systems is making a pre-emptive strike in what is soon to be an all out digital subscriber line war? Customer oriented like RSVR could further marginalize the subscriber PVR services like TiVo and ReplayTV forcing them to find newer and more innovative ways to stay afloat in the industry.

Wayde
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