Abstract: A television recording and playback system such as a personal video recorder digitally encodes a television program in handheld format and stores it in local memory. The stored handheld format television program can be outputted from the television recording and playback system, using either wired or wireless protocols, to a handheld device such as a personal data assistant for viewing on the handheld device. Alternatively the handheld device can output the television program to a different device such as another handheld device. The selection of programs for recording in large display format, handheld format, or simultaneously in both formats, can be by using a graphical user interface generated by the television recording and playback system or by the handheld device, and preferably with an electronic program guide containing information about programs to be, and being, broadcast.