DVR

IPA/dˌiːvˌiːˈɑː/
IPA/dˌiːvˌiːˈɑːɹ/

DVR — noun

1. A DVR is a home electronics device that connects to a TV and stores live broadca

1.nounB1
Definition

A DVR is a home electronics device that connects to a TV and stores live broadcasts on a built-in hard drive so you can watch them at any time after they air.

Example

Gabriel set the DVR to record the late-night talk show while he was at work.

set + DVR + to-record + show

The new DVR has enough space to store over fifty hours of high-definition shows.

DVR has space to store [amount]

Common collocations
  • set the DVR
  • program the DVR
  • record on the DVR
  • watch from the DVR
  • DVR recording
Synonyms
  • digital video recorder

    the full, formal name for a DVR; less common in everyday conversation

  • PVR

    short for 'personal video recorder,' the equivalent term used mainly in British English

Grammar Patterns

DVR + verb

set/use the DVR

Usage Note

DVR is an acronym written in capital letters. It is a countable noun: one DVR, two DVRs. People sometimes use DVR as a verb in informal speech, as in 'I DVR'd that show last night.'

Common Mistakes

I need to buy a DVR player.
I need to buy a DVR.
DVR already contains 'recorder,' so adding 'player' is redundant.
I recorded it on the VCR.' (when using a digital device)
I recorded it on the DVR.
VCR uses magnetic tapes; DVR records onto a hard drive.

Word family

  • digital video recorder
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

DVR, PVR, and digital video recorder all name devices that capture TV onto a hard drive. In American English, DVR is the everyday term people use at home. PVR (personal video recorder) serves the same function but is the standard term in the UK, Australia, and other Commonwealth countries. 'Digital video recorder' is the full written form of the abbreviation and appears in product manuals and formal descriptions. In conversation, an American would say 'I set the DVR to record the game,' while a British speaker would more likely say 'I set the PVR.'

DVR ↗PVR ↗digital video recorder

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • DVR recording
  • DVR system
  • DVR remote

Prepositions

Etymology

EnglishAmerican English

DVR is an acronym formed from 'digital video recorder,' a term that appeared in the late 1990s when companies like TiVo and ReplayTV introduced hard-drive-based recording as a replacement for the analog VCR (videocassette recorder). The word combines 'digital' (using binary data), 'video' (moving images), and 'recorder' (a device that stores content for playback).