Snippet: Apple Looked at DVR Possibilities in 2006 ☇

According to a recent patent that was awarded to Apple, the company was working on ideas for a digital video recorder and/or cable television interface dating back to September 2006. Personally, I like the sketches, especially the late night talk show that looks suspiciously like it could be The Late Show with David Letterman (via MacRumors):

Apple has received a Granted Patent relating to a video device which displays video in one of a plurality of contexts in an onscreen display area. In response to the menu command, the video device generates a menu overlay within the onscreen display area while maintaining the video within the menu overlay, and generates within the menu overlay a context icon based on the selected context.

Apple’s 2006 patent filing clearly illustrates that Apple TV was or is to work with regular cable TV. The patent figures clearly show ABC, Fox channels and so forth. Apple TV was and/or is to be able to record TV shows. Advanced Set-top-Box features for Apple TV would be a welcomed addition to the current iteration of Apple TV, one being it could act as a high-end PVR. Just recently Apple added access to Hulu (in the US only), which illustrates that Apple TV continues to be a mystery project in progress.