science

Place shifting

Place shifting is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Place shifting rather than just read about it. In short: Space shifting (or spaceshifting), also known as place shifting (or placeshifting), allows media, such as music or films, which are stored on one device, to be accessed from another place through another device. Space shifting is frequently done through computer networks, for example by viewing a television broadcast from a WiFi equipped set-top box on a WiFi equipped notebook.

Key takeaways

Place shifting belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Place shifting to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Place shifting from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Space shifting (or spaceshifting), also known as place shifting (or placeshifting), allows media, such as music or films, which are stored on one device, to be accessed from another place through another device. Space shifting is frequently done through computer networks, for example by viewing a television broadcast from a WiFi equipped set-top box on a WiFi equipped notebook. Other media shifting processes include time shifting, a process whereby a radio or television broadcast is recorded and played back at a different time, and format shifting where media files are converted into different formats. A practical purpose of placeshifting is to avoid copyright infringement claims, as when viewing content through the Slingbox or similar consumer electronics. In the 1980s, in the United States, Radio Shack marketed and distributed a different technology to view Audio/Video output remotely. It worked on the cordless phone frequencies and broadcast the signal with their proprietary transmitters and receivers branded Archer/Rabbit VCR Multiplying System.

Products and devices offering space shifting technology Here are a few products and devices known for offering space shifting technology:

TV2Me - the original placeshifting device, developed by Ken Schaffer LocationFree Player Slingbox Subsonic (media server) Ampache Plex (software) Monsoon Multimedia Didiom

See also Comparison of DVR software packages#Network support - list of software packages supporting place shifting Media server Format shifting Time shifting Copyright Private copying

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Place shifting

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Place shifting claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Place shifting before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Place shifting ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Place shifting

In research: Place shifting appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Place shifting in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Place shifting is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Copyright law, Digital rights, Digital television, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Place shifting outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Place shifting in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Place shifting means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Place shifting out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Place shifting in simple terms?

Why does Place shifting matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Place shifting?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Place shifting.