A method and apparatus for enabling background caching of encrypted programming data on a storage medium for later playback in a digital video recorder (DVR) system. A set-top box (STB) equipped with a DVR searches a program guide for upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) events. When the PPV event begins, the STB tunes an appropriate transponder and begins receiving programming data packets containing audio, video, system time and conditional access data packets associated with the event, which are stored for playback on a storage medium. When the user turns the STB on and selects an option to playback a previously-recorded PPV event, the appropriate programming data is retrieved from the storage medium, and the STB recreates the original transmission timing of the data, to be displayed on a display device of the user.