Content going to & fro with Mobile DVR

Sky has come up with DVR (Digital Video Recording) facilities on mobile that lets customers control the recording capabilities on their STB using mobile phone and on the other side Motorola has already launched an advanced version in the form of a content sharing technology designed to let Motorola's digital video recorders to send recordings of programming to motorola phones. It gives a connected experience to the customer who can control the content from anywhere.

SKY subscribers can access this service by text message, simply sending the show title, channel, date, and time to a Sky number. The company will then return a confirmation message and route the recording instructions to the set-top box. Those Sky customers who have smartphones can sign up for a similar Sky service, download the necessary software, and access a seven-day TV guide directly on the phone to configure recording options. SKY is also planning to come up with an online version of remote DVR in future.

Motorola's DVR-to-Mobile service would be offered by cable providers through the Motorola set-top boxes using OCAP, the cable industry's standard interactive-service software. The DVR will have a phone cradle. Once the mobile phone is placed in the cradle, owners use their DVR interface to copy content, including movies and television programs, over to the phone. As of now, the Motorola Razr V3x is the only phone capable of receiving and displaying this content. Consumers will also be able to access their DVR remotely from their Motorola phone by clicking on an icon that then brings them to their DVR interface. From there they would program their DVR as if they were at home. Content, however, can only be downloaded via the cradle.

Now the big question arises. Why didn't Sky offer the DVR-to-mobile service when it is already there? answer comes from the rights management issue. How the Sky will determine the illegal transfer and consumption of content. May be this can be answered with one way around solution by authorizing the cell phones per household to be used with the service but it will take some time to get the buy-in. Motorola is not alone in its effort to entice mobile phone users with broadcast content on their cell phones. SlingMedia has already released the SlingPlayer Mobile which lets consumers remotely watch live TV- and DVR-recorded content, as well as remotely program their Slingbox DVRs. The service works with any Microsoft Windows mobile phone.

So lets wait and watch for SKY to come up with the DVR-to-mobile services ASAP.