Live and Clicking

When Neil Johnston visited his parents in Northern Ireland recently, he found watching their television a truly frustrating experience. The 26-year-old software engineer from Southampton had to view his favorite shows at the times they were broadcast, a practice that is just so 20th century. Johnston, like a small but growing number of Europeans, has rushed headlong into this century and hooked his own television to a personal video recorder (PVR) that allows him to watch broadcast programs whenever he wants.

He can stop and replay live TV, as well as record every episode of every favorite show...