Time shifting is the recording of programming to a storage medium to be viewed or listened to at a
time more convenient to the
consumer. Typically, this refers to TV programming but can also refer to radio shows via
podcasts.
In recent years, the advent of the
digital video recorder (DVR) has made time shifting easy, by using a
program guide and recording shows onto a hard disk. Some DVRs have other possibile time shifting methods, such as being able to start watching the recorded show from the beginning even if the recording is not yet complete. In the past, time shifting was done with a
video cassette recorder (VCR) and its timer function, in which the VCR tunes into the appropriate station and records the show onto video tape.
The
Sky+ service in Ireland and the UK allows one to timeshift.
TiVo,
DirecTV and other US cable or satellite subscription services offer PVR
set top boxes, often for an additional monthly fee.
In
cable television broadcasting, time shifting may also refer to the availability of network affiliates from different
time zones, serving a similar function of making television programs available at multiple times throughout the day.
