What is a DVR streaming API?

A DVR streaming API is a programmable interface that lets developers add time-shifting capabilities to live video streams. Viewers can rewind to any point within a configurable window, pause and resume live content, or join a stream late and start from the beginning. The API manages segment storage, manifest generation, and DRM enforcement so developers do not need to build DVR infrastructure from scratch.

How does V100's DVR work with DRM-protected content?

V100's DVR module encrypts all stored segments with the same DRM keys used for the live stream. When a viewer seeks backward in the DVR window, the player requests a license for the historical segment just as it would for a live segment. Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady are all supported. The DRM keys rotate on a configurable schedule, and the DVR module manages key association per segment automatically.

What DVR window lengths does V100 support?

V100 supports configurable DVR windows of 2 hours, 24 hours, and 7 days. The window length is set per stream at creation time via the API. Segments older than the configured window are automatically purged. Enterprise plans support custom window lengths beyond 7 days for long-running events or regulatory retention requirements.

DVR & TIME-SHIFT

DVR Streaming API for
Time-Shifted Viewing

Live streams are ephemeral by default. A viewer who joins five minutes late misses the opening. A fan who steps away during the goal cannot rewatch it. A congregation member in a different time zone cannot attend the live service. V100's DVR module solves all three problems with a single API call. Enable DVR on any live stream, configure the window length, and every viewer gets full rewind, pause, and catch-up capability -- including on DRM-protected content. No segment management. No S3 lifecycle policies. No manifest rewriting. Just an API parameter.

Get API Key View Code Sample

DVR windows up to 7 days

Full DRM support

One API call to enable

Why Live Streams Need DVR

Linear live streams assume every viewer is present at the exact moment content airs. That assumption fails constantly. Viewers join late, step away, or live in different time zones. Without DVR, these viewers get a degraded experience or miss the content entirely. The result is lower engagement, higher churn, and missed revenue.

Late Joiners Miss the Start

A viewer who joins a worship service 10 minutes late hears the sermon mid-sentence. A sports fan who tunes in after kickoff misses the opening drive. Without catch-up capability, late joiners experience content out of context. Studies show that 30-40% of live stream viewers join after the scheduled start time. DVR catch-up lets every viewer start from the beginning regardless of when they arrive.

Time Zones Kill Global Audiences

A live event at 8 PM Eastern is 1 AM in London and 9 AM in Tokyo. Without time-shifting, you are asking international viewers to watch at inconvenient hours or not at all. Time-shifted viewing lets you broadcast once and serve viewers across every time zone within the DVR window. This is particularly critical for worship services, corporate all-hands meetings, and global product launches.

Key Moments Cannot Be Rewatched

The goal, the keynote announcement, the critical play -- without rewind, these moments vanish the instant they air. Viewers cannot share timestamps with friends, analysts cannot review plays, and audience engagement drops because there is no way to relive the highlights. DVR rewind transforms passive viewing into interactive engagement where every moment is accessible.

V100 DVR Capabilities

V100's DVR module handles every layer of the time-shifting stack: segment storage, manifest generation, DRM key association, and automatic cleanup. You configure the behavior through the API. V100 manages the infrastructure.

Live Rewind

Viewers can scrub backward to any point within the DVR window while the stream is still live. The player seamlessly transitions between live edge and historical content. When the viewer is ready, a single tap returns them to the live edge. The rewind experience works identically on HLS and DASH players with no additional client-side code required.

Catch-Up from Start

Late-joining viewers can start from the very beginning of the stream. The DVR manifest includes all segments from the stream start through the live edge. The viewer watches at their own pace and can jump to live at any time. This is essential for worship services, earnings calls, and any content where context from the beginning matters.

Time-Zone Shifting

With a 24-hour or 7-day DVR window, viewers in any time zone can watch at their local prime time. A church in Texas broadcasts Sunday morning service at 10 AM Central, and members in Germany watch the same stream at 7 PM local time. The stream is technically still live (or within the DVR window), so it feels like a live experience even hours after broadcast.

DRM-Protected DVR

DVR content inherits the same DRM protection as the live stream. Every stored segment is encrypted with Widevine, FairPlay, or PlayReady. Key rotation is handled automatically -- the DVR module tracks which key applies to which segment and serves the correct license when a viewer seeks backward. There is no gap in content protection between the live edge and the DVR window.

Configurable DVR Windows

Different content types need different DVR windows. A sports event needs a 2-hour window for the duration of the game. A worship service needs 24 hours so international members can watch within a day. A conference needs 7 days so attendees can revisit sessions throughout the week. V100 lets you set the window per stream.

2 HOURS

Live Events

Covers the duration of a typical sports game, concert, or live show. Viewers can rewind to any moment during the event. Segments are automatically purged after the window closes, minimizing storage costs. Ideal for sports broadcasts where fans want to rewatch goals, plays, and key moments during the game.

Full game/event coverage

Lowest storage cost

Auto-purge after window

24 HOURS

Daily Programming

Full-day catch-up for daily broadcasts, worship services, and news programming. Covers every time zone -- a viewer 12 hours behind the broadcast can still watch the same day. This is the sweet spot for most use cases: long enough for global reach, short enough to keep storage manageable.

Full time-zone coverage

Same-day catch-up

Balanced storage cost

7 DAYS

Week-Long Events

Extended catch-up for conferences, multi-day festivals, and content libraries that need to remain accessible throughout the week. Attendees can revisit any session from earlier in the event. Regulatory or compliance use cases that require content to remain available for a defined retention period also benefit from the 7-day window.

Multi-day event coverage

Conference session replay

Compliance retention

DVR Use Cases

Time-shifted viewing is not a niche feature. It is a fundamental expectation that viewers carry over from cable DVR and on-demand platforms. Here is how V100 customers use DVR across different verticals.

Sports: Rewatch the Goal

A fan watching a soccer match hears the crowd erupt while grabbing a drink. With DVR, they scrub back 30 seconds and watch the goal. Analysts rewind and watch plays multiple times. The 2-hour window covers the full match duration. Integration with V100's multiview lets fans rewind a specific camera angle independently.

Worship: Catch-Up Sermon

A member joins the live service 15 minutes late and starts from the opening prayer. Members in other time zones watch the full service at their local convenience within the 24-hour window. The experience feels live -- the stream URL is the same, the chat is visible, and the viewer can jump to live at any point.

Events: Time-Zone Coverage

A global product launch airs at 10 AM Pacific. European offices watch during their afternoon. APAC teams catch up the next morning. With a 24-hour DVR window, every region watches at their convenience without requiring a separate VOD workflow. One stream, one URL, global coverage.

Comparison: V100 DVR vs Building from Scratch

Building DVR yourself means managing segment storage, manifest rewriting, DRM key association, and lifecycle cleanup. Here is what that looks like compared to V100's managed DVR module.

Concern	V100 DVR	DIY (S3 + Custom)
Segment storage	Managed automatically	S3 + lifecycle policies
Manifest generation	Dynamic HLS/DASH	Custom manifest rewriter
DRM key management	Automatic per-segment	Manual key-to-segment mapping
Cleanup/purge	Automatic window enforcement	S3 lifecycle or cron job
Setup time	One API parameter	Weeks of engineering
Ongoing maintenance	Zero	Storage monitoring, manifest bugs, key rotation

Honest trade-off: If you already have a mature media pipeline with S3 segment storage, a custom manifest server, and DRM integration, adding DVR may be a manageable extension of your existing system. V100's advantage is strongest when you are starting from scratch or want to avoid the ongoing maintenance burden. The DIY approach gives you maximum control over segment storage and retention policies, but it requires dedicated engineering time to build and maintain.

Integration Guide

Enable DVR with a single parameter when creating a live stream. Use the seek API to programmatically control the playback position. Query the DVR window to build custom timeline UIs.

dvr-streaming.js

// npm install v100-sdk
import { V100 } from 'v100-sdk';

const v100 = new V100('YOUR_API_KEY');

// Create a live stream with DVR enabled
const stream = await v100.broadcast.create({
  name: 'Sunday Service',
  dvr: {
    enabled: true,
    window: '24h',             // '2h' | '24h' | '7d'
    startFromBeginning: true  // Allow catch-up from start
  },
  drm: { enabled: true }
});

// Start DVR recording (called when stream goes live)
await v100.broadcast.start_dvr(stream.id);

// Get the current DVR window info
const window = await v100.broadcast.get_window(stream.id);
// { start: "2026-03-28T10:00:00Z", end: "2026-03-28T11:35:00Z",
//   duration_seconds: 5700, window_limit: "24h" }

// Seek a viewer to a specific timestamp
await v100.broadcast.seek(stream.id, {
  viewer_id: 'viewer_abc',
  position: '2026-03-28T10:05:00Z'  // Jump to 5 min after start
});

Or use the REST API directly:

terminal

curl -X POST https://api.v100.ai/v1/broadcast \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Sunday Service",
    "dvr": {
      "enabled": true,
      "window": "24h",
      "startFromBeginning": true
    },
    "drm": { "enabled": true }
  }'

Pricing

DVR is available on all V100 plans. The free tier includes a 2-hour DVR window. Pro and Enterprise plans unlock 24-hour and 7-day windows. Storage costs for DVR segments are included in your streaming minutes -- no separate storage billing.

Free Tier

$0/mo

2-hour DVR window included.

Rewind and catch-up

2-hour window

HLS and DASH

60 minutes/month

RECOMMENDED

Pro

Usage-based

24-hour DVR windows for production.

Everything in Free

24-hour DVR window

DRM-protected DVR

DVR analytics

Enterprise

Custom

7-day windows and custom retention.

Everything in Pro

7-day DVR window

Custom retention policies

Dedicated support

Add DVR to Your Live Streams Today

Free tier includes 2-hour DVR windows. One API parameter to enable. Works with DRM. No segment management required.

Get API Key — Free Tier Ad Insertion (SSAI)

Related Resources

Platform

DVR Streaming API for
Time-Shifted Viewing

Why Live Streams Need DVR

Late Joiners Miss the Start

Time Zones Kill Global Audiences

Key Moments Cannot Be Rewatched

V100 DVR Capabilities

Live Rewind

Catch-Up from Start

Time-Zone Shifting

DRM-Protected DVR

Configurable DVR Windows

Live Events

Daily Programming

Week-Long Events

DVR Use Cases

Sports: Rewatch the Goal

Worship: Catch-Up Sermon

Events: Time-Zone Coverage

Comparison: V100 DVR vs Building from Scratch

Integration Guide

Pricing

Add DVR to Your Live Streams Today

Related Resources

V100 Broadcast Platform

Server-Side Ad Insertion

Multi-CDN Routing

DVR Streaming API forTime-Shifted Viewing

Why Live Streams Need DVR

Late Joiners Miss the Start

Time Zones Kill Global Audiences

Key Moments Cannot Be Rewatched

V100 DVR Capabilities

Live Rewind

Catch-Up from Start

Time-Zone Shifting

DRM-Protected DVR

Configurable DVR Windows

Live Events

Daily Programming

Week-Long Events

DVR Use Cases

Sports: Rewatch the Goal

Worship: Catch-Up Sermon

Events: Time-Zone Coverage

Comparison: V100 DVR vs Building from Scratch

Integration Guide

Pricing

Add DVR to Your Live Streams Today

Related Resources

V100 Broadcast Platform

Server-Side Ad Insertion

Multi-CDN Routing

DVR Streaming API for
Time-Shifted Viewing