How To Record Live Over
When it comes to cord cutting, Plex is feature-rich streaming media solution that also allows you to view and record over-the-air TV content in HD.
If you are a cord cutter, there are a lot of options out there to get the content you want. From on-demand streaming services like Netflix to live cable services like PlayStation Vue or Sling TV. But what if you want to record the over-the-air content you get from your antenna? Plex is a popular media server that, among many other things, allows you to record live OTA TV shows in HD.
Here is a look at how to set up your Plex DVR to record live OTA TV using an HDHomeRun device connected to your network. An HDHomeRun is a box that you plug into your network and attach an OTA antenna. Then, you can stream live TV to virtually any device connected to your network. For example, check out our article on using it to watch Live TV on Xbox One.
Note:
What Devices Can You Use To Record TV Shows From Antenna
There are several options that will allow you to record TV shows from your antenna. Lets take a look at what they are.
VCR
This is probably the most old-fashioned option your parents might be familiar with. You can simply buy a blank VHS tape and record your TV show with a VCR.
What is the downside?
VHS is obviously a pretty old format so dont expect a high-quality recording. Youll get a much lower resolution compared to modern formats.
So, if you are not that picky about picture quality, then its still a pretty adequate option if you only want to watch your shows. You can set a timer with most VCRs so you can record your shows when away from home.
DVR
You can either buy a standalone DVR unit or use the one from your old cable or satellite subscriptions . It will function just like a VCR recorder: simply set a timer and it will record from you.
However, you wont have to purchase a blank tape to record, as a DVR unit will save your shows on its hard disk.
Convenience and quality-wise, DVR is probably the best option, but DVR units might not be very cheap.
DVD Recorders or Bluray recorders
Another option is to get a DVD recorder . You have to purchase a blank DVD .
DVDs can store videos with pretty decent quality, but its not the best according to todays standards.
If you want quality, get a Bluray recorder instead, but both the Bluray recorder/player and a blank Bluray disc are much more expensive.
TV Tuner + Computer
Play It Back: How To Record Live TV Without Cable
As the cord-cutting revolution continues, there are more options than ever before that help you do away with high-priced cable subscriptions. Of all the features of cable television, perhaps one of the best has always been the ability to record live video via a DVR box. Luckily, this feature is available beyond cable packages.
When looking for an over-the-air DVR there are a few things to keep in mind before you purchase. There are some OTA DVRs that cannot be connected directly to your television. This type of OTA DVR is known as a “Networked DVR” and is designed to allow you to use one device for all TV’s in your house. This could be a good option for those who are technically capable of setting up this type of device on the home wifi network and ensuring that the network is reliable enough to support HD video. For those looking for something more simple to set up directly to each TV, the Channel Master Stream+ or the Tivo will be better options.
Let’s look at how to record live TV without cable.
You May Like: Can You Watch Apple TV Plus On Firestick
What Is An Ota Dvr Digital Video Recorders For Antenna TV
While digital video recorders are most commonly associated with traditional cable and satellite television set-top boxes, you can buy a DVR for antenna TV as well. Similar to cable and satellite DVRs, an over-the-air antenna DVR lets you pause, rewind, and record live television using an OTA antenna. As such, its a cost-effective solution for cord-cutters. Youll still be able to save TV shows for on-demand viewing but without the high cost of a cable subscription.
Record Digital TV On Dvr
To record shows on your TV, you can use a DVR. There are numerous DVR recorders available to record your digital TV. A DVR is basically like a computer that is responsible for recording, saving, and playback videos with audios. It is a simple device to record your shows. It is a device that can help you in recording your videos in digital format to any hardware device like SD memory card, disk drive, SSD, USB drive, or some other connectable device. They are used to record videos and shows from your television onto any hardware device. The DVRs that are used for personal help are called PVRs . This device is helpful in TV Recording. These can be used with antenna TV as well. DVR recorder for antenna TV recording has also turned out to be great use to the consumers. People prefer other ways of recording audios and videos. Following are the simple steps to record digital TV on DVR recorders:
Firstly, ensure that your DVR is already connected to your digital TV set. To connect your DVR to your digital TV, you will be required to use a radio frequency modulator, otherwise known as an RF modulator. It is important that you also turn off all electrical appliances connected to your digital TV. It is to ensure that there are no interruptions. After you have turned off your electrical appliances involved in this process, make sure that the cables you would be using are long enough to get to the television from any location you will be setting up your DVR.
Read Also: How To Get Discovery Plus On Smart TV
What Is An Over The Air TV
Simply put, OTA TVs are television sets that are used to broadcast tv, local channels. As opposed to cable TV, you only need an OTA TV and a digital antenna to watch local channels. There are no subscriptions or monthly charges.
Over the air TV is a cheap way to watch local news, weather channels, and some primetime TV shows.
Dvrs Recording Broadcast TV
If you are using an antenna to watch TV, I highly recommend picking up a broadcast TV DVR to record entire seasons your favorite shows so you can watch them any time. It makes the broadcast TV experience much more like a streaming service!
My recommend DVRs are the Tablo for most people, Amazon Fire TV Recast if you already own Amazon Fire TV devices, and the Stream+ if you only want to watch and record on one TV.
Keep reading for more details on each!
You May Like: How To Connect Oculus Quest To TV Without Chromecast
The Number Of Shows You Can Record At Once Matters With Big Families
Make sure the number of recordings and watching streams covers your needs because if you have five people in your house and only four streams, someone is going to have to compromise.
With the DISH Hopper 3, you can get up to 16 recordings going at once . When you use additional units like the Joey, Genie Mini, or TiVo Mini, youre increasing the number of individual streams to TVs, but rarely do these devices add storage.
Ota Antenna Into Something Else
Tablo and HDHomerun are our two favorite OTA tuners, because of their simplicity. If it ain’t easy to use, you shouldn’t be using it. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other options.
Tablo has a USB device that plugs into an NVIDIA Shield TV that’ll let it act as a DVR, which is cool. And there’s AirTV, which is a different sort of Android TV box that has an add-on that can put your OTA content right along the listings of Sling TV.
The point is there are myriad ways to pipe free over-the-air TV into your home. The only real question is figuring out which method is right for you.
Don’t Miss: Oculus Quest 2 Cast To Firestick
What Is Ota TV Programming
OTA is short for Over the Air. In many locations, you can receive free programmingall you need is an antenna. Its a great way to save money and still keep up on the big networks, as well as a few movie channels and family favorites like PBS.
While Over the Air isnt perfect for everybody, fans of network TV and sports can find a lot to watch. The following DVRs on our list are OTA compatible: TiVo Bolt+, DISH Hopper 3, DIRECTV Genie, and Fire TV Recast.
Converter Boxes That Record The Budget Option
Many outboard TV converter boxes also record to outboard USB storage devices. These usually run only about $40!
So, whats the catch? Well, these boxes dont connect to the Internet, so the channel guide is not as slick as with the Tablo. Also, some people have said the user interfaces are not as refined as the other units on the market. The reviews are not as good as the Stream+ or Tablo, and you cant watch one channel while recording another. But, these are SO much cheaper than the other options, it may be worth looking at if youre willing to tolerate these shortcomings. On the upside, you can take the hard drive from this unit and plug it into your computer and watch the recordings that way. You cant easily do that with the Stream+ or Tablo!
Read Also: How To Change Input On Sanyo TV Without Remote
Digital Converter Box Dvr
If you are looking for a simple and cheap solution for recording OTA content you can also use a digital converter box with a built-in DVR to record. They do not offer all the capabilities of these other DVRs, but if you are looking for a basic solution it may be a good choice. You can see our article below:
How to Record Over The Air TV With a Digital Converter Box.
Tivo Edge For Antenna
The TiVo Edge for Antenna lets you record two shows at once and has built-in apps for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and more. My favorite thing about TiVo products is the user interface when viewing shows, as well as the automatic commercial skip with a press of a button.
The downside is the relatively high cost and the subscription cost.
If you liked the TiVo interface back when you had cable TV, the TiVo Edge for Antenna might be a good choice for you.
Also Check: How To Stream Your Pc To Your TV
What To Look For In An Over
Evaluating over-the-air DVR solutions is tough, because there are so many factors that can make or break the experience. If you want to investigate further, here are some factors to consider:
Ad-skipping features: Advertising is still a staple of broadcast TV, but some DVRs provide tools to help you skip them. TiVo is the best in this regard, providing an auto-skip button for some programs, and a 30-second skip button for everything else.
Mentioned in this article
Antenna placement options: Over-the-air DVR is useless if your antenna cant receive channels, so unless youve got coaxial cable wired to the roof, youll need to set up your DVR in a place with solid indoor antenna reception. Tablo can operate anywhere in the house, HDHomeRun must be wired to your router, and TiVo and Channel Master are tied to your television. Plan accordingly.
Granular recording options: Perhaps youd like to keep only a certain number of recent episodes, or replace your recordings with higher-resolution versions when available. Not all DVRs are equal in the recording controls they provide. Our full reviews will provide more details.
Live TV time-shifting and catch-up: Want to pause for snack breaks? How about watching partway through a program so you can skip the commercials? Most DVR solutions support this type of time-shifting, but HDHomeRun and Plex currently dont.
Mentioned in this article
What Is A Dvr
DVR or digital video recorder can store contents that are recorded from the TV provider. Cable brands often offer a set top box that includes a DVR. This is perhaps one of the advantages of a cable subs. You can record your favorite TV shows.
But if this is the only thing thats holding you back from cutting the cord, you can now do it so bravely. OTC DVR functions in almost the same way as a DVR. Except that you do not need cable subs to do the recording. Your OTC antenna will suffice.
You May Like: How To Screen Share Without Wifi
What Is An Ota Dvr
An over the air DVR is a device that will record a broadcast television show onto a hard drive or storage drive for later viewing. You can also rewind, pause and skip through commercials. Many OTA DVRs allow you to schedule your recordings by show, date, and time using their built-in electronic program guide.
Best Ota Dvr For Cord Cutters: Amazon Fire TV Recast Tivo And Tablo
Our picks for devices that pause, record and stream free, live over-the-air television from an antenna.
If you want to watch free TV, and live in an area with decent over-the-air reception, putting up a TV antenna is an easy way to cut the cord. Hooking a DVR to that antenna enables you to unlock the full potential of those broadcasts: You can pause live TV, save shows to watch later, and skip commercials. Most of the models below will also let you stream shows on multiple TVs or when you’re outside the home.
The downside, of course, is that “free” can turn into, well, not free, especially if your DVR charges a monthly fee. While a basic DVR like the AirTV 2 starts around $100, before you add a hard drive, a TiVo device with all the bells and whistles is about $500 after you pay the lifetime subscription. Yet, compared to the cost of cable TV and live TV-streaming services such as Hulu Plus Live TV or YouTube TV, even the most expensive antenna DVR will pay for itself in due time.
Get the CNET Daily News newsletter
There are four standout OTA DVR products to consider when buying a cord-cutting digital video recorder: the , the AirTV 2 and the TiVo Edge for antenna, and the Nuvyyo Tablo Quad. Each has its own unique DVR features, tuner and capabilities, but there’s one I’d recommend to beginners and old hands alike. Let’s dive in and take a look at the best OTA DVR options.
The Amazon Fire TV Recast is my pick for most people looking to cut the cord.
Recommended Reading: Samsung TV Switches Source
Standalone Dvr Options For Ota Antenna Based Television
The easiest and fastest way to record television shows from your antenna is to install a set top DVR that can record shows directly from your antenna signal and then play them back on a single television.
These DVRs normally run under $50 and at any given time you are probably going to find about 4 manufacturers out there that are making them.
If you buy one of these boxes they normally come as a Converter/Tuner along with the DVR option. They are an upgrade from the early Digital to Analog Converters that many of us bought years ago during the digital transition to let our old Tube Analog TVS watch the New Digital over the air stations.
The boxes normally do not have internet access so you wont be presented with a nice channel lineup that lets you scroll all your stations and see whats on now and in the future in the way you are use to on cable or on a website lineup.
What they do offer is a few hours or maybe a days worth of future programming that is sent out over the air by the tv station broadcasters in a special data signal attached to the video signal.
To see the lineups you have to turn to each station. To record shows from the lineups you have to find them from that list or you have to setup a record time based on the day of the week, the station and the time of day. Its not really easy at first but it is doable.
How Does Ota Dvrs Works
Using an OTA DVR is easy as hell. Normally, it looks like a small router. It is has a jack where the coaxial cable needs to be inserted from your antenna.
Then, you will also need to arrange for a Hard Drive to store your recorded data and stuff. This feature is built into some models while in others it requires an external hard drive which you must purchase separately.
As far as recording shows using OTA DVRs are concerned, there are two ways to do it.
Using an app is the first option. If you choose, the OTA DVR doesnt need to be connected to your TV at all. You can put it in another room completely. Since it can also use Wi-Fi, you can play recordings from your phone via an app.
They can be downloaded for Android and iOS devices. If you still wish to select recordings using your TV and remote control, they can be accessed on streaming devices like Roku. In reality, the device that takes the footage isnt even physically connected to your TV, its connected via WiFi.
Another option is to use an OTA DVR that connects directly to your television. Generally, your antenna is connected directly to your DVR, while your DVR is connected to your TV using another cable. You can set recordings from your phone, your computer, or your TV, and you can watch your recordings through your TV.
Recommended Reading: How To Add Apps To My Philips Smart TV