Time Warner Cable, Cablevision Confirm Network PVR Plans

Filed in archive Announcements on April 28, 2005

At the Banc of America Securities media conference in New York City last month, Time Warner Cable CEO, Glenn Britt, and Cablevision COO, Tom Rutledge, confirmed once again that their respective companies are planning to offer network PVR services later this year.

According to Britt, Time Warner Cable's service, which will be based on technology developed under the auspices of its now-defunct MystroTV project, and which will be offered under the brand, "Startover," will allow viewers to rewind the show they are currently watching to the beginning: it will not, however, allow viewers to then fast-forward through commercials, Britt said. Because of copyright concerns, Startover will only work for shows for which Time Warner Cable has received permission from programmers to offer on the service, he added. The service will initially be tested on the MSO's Columbia, South Carolina system.

Cablevision's service, Rutledge said, will allow subscribers to store recorded programming in assigned storage areas on central servers -- dubbed "condominiums" by the company--and to watch it whenever they choose. Britt told attendees that Time Warner Cable believes this approach could run into copyright problems, but Rutledge said that his company's legal team believes there should be no more violation of copyright involved than when consumers record programming onto a cable operator-owned DVR at the customer premises.