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Realising perhaps the old adage that the network is the computer, or even video storage unit, MobiTV is to release its network DVR (nDVR) as a standalone licensable solution.

Network DVR allows viewers to record and store television content in the cloud, rather than on a DVR box in their home. As a result, says the live and on-demand TV Everywhere provider, consumers can record an unlimited number of programmes at any time and retrieve them anywhere, inside or outside the home, on connected devices.

Available to cable television service providers, wireless carriers and other network operators, MobiTV’s nDVR was developed and, previously, exclusively available only as an element of MobiTV’s end-to-end multiscreen platform. The company proposes that instead of investing in costly set-top boxes for subscribers, service providers can send them a “thin” box that requires only an Internet connection and HDMI cable to interface with the cloud-hosted nDVR system. Moreover, it adds, since nDVR does not store programming on the device in the home, it untethers consumers so that they may watch the content anytime, anywhere. 

The firm is also confident that it can navigate rights management issues across countries by configuring for any of the governing international rules. It believes that it has ‘uniquely’ implemented several modes for recording and storage to accommodate user and content rights for geographies around the world.

For example, in one scenario it can enable constant recording of a single, cloud-based master copy of all channels offered by a service provider that can be accessed by consumers. This configuration would not require the viewer to initiate recordings and, in effect, offers “catch-up TV” and video-on-demand (VOD) for any program across multiple authorised devices, since all channels are continuously recorded. Other options may include personal copies where individual programs are written to a cloud-based storage area for the individual subscriber, with a pre-designated configurable amount of available storage.

Rights management has long been a difficult process for service operators to navigate on an international scale,” said MobiTV CEO Charlie Nooney. “The MobiTV nDVR removes barriers for operators and provides the solution for a true TV Everywhere experience.”

Current international digital rights management for cloud-based DVR systems is a complex set of rules. The MobiTV nDVR is a policies-based system that enables network operators to honor restricted digital rights requirements, permitting recording inside or outside the home as the rights allow. As rules governing rights management are fluid, the technology within MobiTV nDVR shifts policies to comply with new rules thus enabling service providers to be able to deliver TV and video across countries and rights management obstacles.