Sky recorder promises hours of TV watching

By PETER GRIFFIN

SKY TV will release a digital video recorder next year that will see the standard Sky decoder transformed into a device capable of storing hours of programming.

The personal video recorder (PVR) will work with Sky's electronic programming guide, allowing recordings to be pre-set with the Sky remote control unit.

PVRs are gaining popularity in the US and Europe but their use is limited to less than three per cent of viewing households in most countries.

Sky will ride on the coat-tails of Australian pay TV operator Foxtel to release a similar type of PVR here.

Sky chief executive John Fellet said the device would add $200 to $250 to the cost of a typical Sky installation.

PVRs feature "time-shifting", letting viewers begin watching a programme they are still recording, and therefore skip ads.

But the advertising industry is not living in fear of the PVR.

"People see commercials as a trade-off for the price they pay for their viewing," said Martin Gillman, the head of Total Media, which buys media advertising and space.

"There's no evil empire that you can get a box to eliminate."

Sky says it will release its electronic programming guide to third-party PVR vendors "eventually". TV viewers can already buy hard disk drive-based recorders for about $500, but their usefulness is limited without an integrated programming guide.

Sky would likely place an order for 25,000 PVRs towards the end of next year.