CableVision has launched a multi-room DVR service that lets viewers simultaneously watch and control different recorded programmes on up to four televisions in their home.

DVRs were first made popular by TiVo which pioneered the technology to allow couch potatoes to pause, rewind and fast-forward television programming.

Cablevision?s new Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 DVR-MR is a step up on the original technology as it allows viewers to access content from every television in the home and record and store up to 50 hours of programming.

The systems also have a picture-in-picture function so viewers can watch two channels simultaneously or record one channel while watching another.

?Just as DVR changes the way people watch TV, Multi-Room DVR is changing the way people use DVR,? said CableVision?s Headend Supervisor Wayne Williams. ?With our new Multi-Room DVR service, customers can choose not only what they watch and when they want to watch it, but even where they watch it as well. Multi-room DVR lets you have streaming content on every TV in your home, and puts you in total control.?

Individuals in up to four different rooms of the home can be watching different recorded programs simultaneously via the Multi-Room DVR. The system also provides parental control capabilities to limit access to recorded programming in other rooms of the home.

CableVision?s multi-room service is offered at a monthly fee of $5. The Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 DVR-MR can be purchased for $850 or rented at a monthly fee of $30. A future version of the system will include a built-in DVD player/burner for more storage.