Both on the hardware and the software sides, as an example of its cutting-edge positioning, The Carmel Group was the first analyst and consulting entity in the world to do extensive industry DVR forecasts, back in the 1997-98 timeframe. Plus, as another example of its expertise in the DVR arena, The Carmel Group conducted a late 2004 study for a eminent content and distribution client, focused on the relationship between the VOD and DVR sides of the pay TV industry. More recently, The Carmel Group delivered two consecutive studies, in 2006 and 2007, surveying the end-user ecosystem, and conducting extensive analyses of the advertising and related parts that are so critical to the future of DVRs. “DVRs 2007: Time In A Magic Box,” continued the many years of surveying the U.S. DVR industry, in a 102-page, 37-chart presentation.
In addition, The Carmel Group has had extensive contact with the DVR industry via a handful of DVR-related litigation consulting endeavors. As an example, The Carmel Group was a damages consultant in the 2004-2011 TiVo vs. EchoStar case, as well as a consulting and testifying expert witness in the 2011-2012 Goldwasser vs. TiVo damages arbitration.
Today, the global growth and influence of DVRs remains among the passionate interests of The Carmel Group, in large measure because of the technical improvement of DVRs, meaning they offer a richer and more relevant experience for many more scores of millions of end-users every year. This subtopic also weds nicely with The Carmel Group’s long-time study of the global set-top box (STB) business, as well as its interest in the future of storage and caching via remote and “cloud” facilities.
Finally, in 2009, The Carmel Group’s principal, Jimmy Schaeffler, wrote a 300+ page NAB/Focal Press book, entitled “Digital Video Recorders: DVRs Changing TV and Advertising Forever.”