digital video recorder

Messing with TiVo's patents is a losing proposition for rival distributors of digital video recorders, as AT&T just became the most recent competitor to discover -- to the tune of at least $215 million.

TiVo is finally clicking the green"thumbs up" button for its shareholders again. The digital video recorder pioneer ended its fiscal third quarter with 117,000 more subscribers than it started with -- its first gain in four years.

Here's a nice surprise for television advertisers: Digital video recorders are actually increasing, not decreasing, the number of viewers who are watching the commercials. Nearly half of the DVR owners in the critical 18- to 49-year-old age group watch the commercials, which boosts ratings, Nielsen says.

This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America. Ever remember the daily pilgrimage to the video rental store for the latest release on VHS? It wasn't...