Understanding live DVR – Part 1: Implementing a live DVR player

DVR importance

The first thing to understand is the importance of the DVR function. Before the ability to efficiently record video at home, video consumers were limited to watching television content only when it was being broadcasted live at the discretion of the broadcaster. Many times you could see only your favorite shows, or important moments in live events. It became clear that consumers wanted to watch content on their own time, instead of changing their schedules to adhere to that of the broadcaster. This was a consumer requirement, not a broadcaster requirement—to free users from the time constraints of live-only content.

The first solution on the market was the videocassette recorder (VCR). These were limited to recording television broadcasts in a linear fashion. This approach solved a problem, but consumers had trouble even setting the VCR clock, not to mention navigating an unfriendly menu system to program the recording device properly. Thankfully, the solution has evolved over the years to provide, and now even help influence, the user experience when it comes to video content delivered to the homes of millions of people.

Today, many people leverage the power of shelf-top DVRs and are able to watch content from their televisions when they want to instead of only having a small window of time when it is actually viewable and "live" on the air. Broadcasters have also adopted new business models that revolve around in-home DVR or PVR technology—demonstrating the democratization of broadcast media.

With the evolution of broadcast television and the ability to watch time-shifted content with pause and seek functionality, why wouldn't that same standard apply to the web?

With current web-based streaming technologies, including previous versions of Flash Media Server, there is a hard line between the experience of live versus recorded content. Recorded content can be played back at any time, and has all the standard controls one would assume: pause, seek, and so on. Live streaming, unfortunately, has been like the pre-VCR era of broadcast television: a time-fixed event that users can join and see the content as it is being streamed, but cannot view any of the previously recorded content for that event while the live recording is still in progress. This issue and the separation of desired functionality is exasperating; for instance, if users join the live event after it starts, they are unable to see any of the preceding content while the session is still live. Being a few minutes late often negates much of the relevancy of an online event as a whole.

DVR benefits

Adobe has brought web-based video up to par with broadcast television and opened up significant new business opportunities that only the web can deliver. The live DVR functionality has many new use cases for a variety of users and markets. The reality is that, for any live event, there is no reason not to offer this functionality. It expands the functionality of an existing event and helps free your users from stringent time constraints. It's also what they want.

Events such as conferences, concerts, internal communication, sports, and news—which may be long or short in duration, or multiple sessions available simultaneously—can have high value in the live DVR functionality, especially if the content viewing is monetized, because many users can benefit from it. It also offers a distinguishing feature for how your content is made available. The ability for users to surf multiple sessions simultaneously and view previous content can have a perceived high value. Once again, it brings the common user experience of watching and controlling television into the realm of streaming video.

DVR use cases

One common use case for live DVR functionality is if a user needs to pause the live stream to handle a short task such as a phone call or other distraction. Without live DVR, the user would simply have to miss a portion of the live event, and at best review the missed portion later, when and if it is made available.

Another common use case is when a user might want to rewind briefly in the session and replay a small portion for a closer look—common used in sports for instant replays. With live DVR, users can control their own video feeds and jump back for an instant replay of that great catch, score, or foul. With many of the major league sports turning to Flash Media Server video streaming, this functionality will surely have an increased value. Also attractive is the ability to provide multiple camera angles. Live DVR can be applied to any existing live scenario including multiple-camera and multiple bit-rate dynamic streaming.

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