Another round of Apple patents made its way to the web this week, and one in particular has been getting a fair bit of attention. This is partially because it details a DVR-type system for episodic cable TV programs, and partially because Steve Jobs is credited as the inventor.
The patent, originally filed in 2006, explains an Apple DVR service that could,
“…correspond to television shows that have either been recorded from a broadcast or purchased from a content provider… Media systems could also be used to connect a media environment to a video content provider, such as a cable service provider.”
I have to admit that I’m a bit surprised by this development. It seemed to me that Apple was headed in the direction of streaming content from the cloud rather than storing it on a device. But a DVR implies that on-board storage would be available.
Granted, it is possible for Apple to offer recording to the cloud, but that would require a massive amount of storage on Apple’s part, not to mention cloud-based storage would probably call for some sort of monthly or yearly fee, which might turn people off.
Personally, I’d rather pay for a DVR with on-board storage once and just keep my videos on a device, than pay for cloud storage over and over again.
What’s more, seeing as this patent was filed in 2006, it’s entirely possible that this plan has already been scrapped in lieu of some cloud-efficient alternative. What do you think?
Would you prefer a DVR or DVR-capable Apple TV with a physical hard drive on which you can store your recordings, or one with recording to the cloud? Comment below
