Digital video recorder using circular file management and method of operation

There is disclosed a digital video recorder that uses a circular file management system to efficiently manage time-shifted viewing a live video broadcast television program. There is provided for use in the digital video recorder, an apparatus for performing time-shifted viewing of an incoming television program being received by the digital video recorder. The apparatus comprises a controller capable of creating a data file having a defined maximum size on a storage disk of the digital video recorder and capable of causing video data associated with the incoming television program to be stored sequentially in the data file from a first location to an Nth location. The controller, in response to a determination that the video data has been stored in the Nth location, causes a next received video data to be stored in the first location.