Innovation at home: Cloud PVRs and wireless STBs

The addition of more functionality – including other consumer services – to cloud personal video recorders (PVRs), and the development of cost-effective wireless/IP-based set-top boxes (STBs) could arguably be cited as the headline trends in this area of the broadcast market over the last few years.

Looking ahead it seems the future will bring ‘the same, but even more so’, as vendors work hard to differentiate their offers in what remains a competitive sector.

It was in September 2014 that the then-BSkyB (now Sky UK) revealed that it was working on a cloud-based PVR in a move widely perceived as a counter-measure to the growing popularity of cloud-based TV services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Nearly five years on and the number of ‘conventional’ broadcaster-led and streaming PVRs being made available has increased significantly, with service providers working hard to offer additional functionality that helps them stand out from the pack. But it’s important to remember that ‘traditional’ PVRs remain a very important part of the market, particularly in areas affected by…