If a TV program is being broadcast on Shabbat that one wants to watch, is it permissible, before Shabbos, to set one’s VCR to record the show for viewing after Shabbos?
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (Igros Mosheh, Orach Chaim, Vol. 4 No. 60) rules that it is forbidden to do this. His reason is that certain things were forbidden by the Rabbis on Shabbos because doing them is a “Bizoyon Shabbos”, a disgrace to the spirit of Shabbos. Using a timer is permitted only to turn lights on and off on Shabbos. Since it was common to ask non-Jews to do this, there is no Bizoyon Shabbos involved in doing it by means of a timer. In general, if health considerations or major monetary loss are involved the Rabbis did not forbid such acts; but they would not be permitted purely for entertainment purposes.