You can find great deals on a new TV this time of year, but people are often disappointed after buying a new set. The picture quality simply doesn’t live up to expectations. But you can change that at home. Tap or click here for tips on getting the most out of your new TV.
If you decide to cut the cord and drop your cable and satellite services, you may believe you need to give up on all your favorite TV shows — but that’s not true. You can still stream all your favorites with services like Netflix or Hulu, but streaming services don’t offer every show.
There are still plenty of television shows you can access on your smart TV, but how can you record them without your cable or satellite company-owned DVR? We’ve got the answer for you below.
Best DVRs and an expander
Just invest in your own DVR. One of the original digital video recording companies, TiVo, is still around. You can get the TiVo EDGE for antenna or over-the-air (OTA) TV here from Amazon.
Also, be sure to check out these three digital video recorders. For more TV show storage, scroll down to see our top DVR extended storage pick.
Auto skip all the commercials
This Tablo Quad Over-the-Air DVR allows you to record up to four channels at once and connects to your internet router. There is no onboard storage, but it supports up to 8TB USB hard drive or 8TB internal 2.5″ SATA drive storage. This will enable you to browse, record and stream live TV to any of your devices.
This DVR also has dual-band AC Wi-Fi and allows you to access TV recordings and playback functions without paying any subscriptions. The best part? You can auto skip all those unwanted commercials. This DVR is best for those who have the know how to add their own storage and need hundreds of hours of storage.
Promising review: “Easy to install and works really well with Roku (using the Tablo channel) I bought an internal hard drive and connected it to an outdoor antenna. The picture quality is excellent … Until I got this, I wasn’t all that happy being a cord cutter. This DVR changed everything! I really couldn’t be happier with it!“
For a quick plug-and-play experience
Looking for something simple to use? Connect a USB drive to this SiliconDust HDHomeRun Flex 4K and get DVR functionality. It records in 4K and connects to your existing internet router or Wi-Fi.
You can stream channels on multiple devices simultaneously throughout your home. This streaming box is compatible with XBox One, AppleTV, iOS, Mac, Windows, Android, Fire TV and newer LG devices. Live TV and playback is supported on some Roku models.
Promising review: “Bought this mainly for the ATSC 3.0 tuner. Picture quality on those channels is fantastic. I don’t have a 4k TV yet but I can still tell the upgrade in picture quality on my 1080p TV.”
The wallet-friendly option
This ATSC digital TV converter box receives over-the-air ATSC digital channels to watch on your TV, projector or computer monitor. It features full 1080p output, closed captioning, auto-tuning and more.
Plug in a USB drive and you can record your content or play music and movie files off the drive.
Just connect the box to your TV via an HDMI, composite or coaxial connection. Note that you’ll need to connect to an external antenna to receive a signal.
Promising review: I have a home theater room and although I have an HD antenna I had no way to watch OTA channels. This was perfect.”
BONUS: Extra DVR storage
When you’re looking for a little extra DVR storage, turn to the Fantom Drives 2TB DVR Expander. It’s available in black or white and you can record up to 2,000 hours of content. To ensure it’s the right expander for you, check out your DVR system and consider contacting the company to see if the two devices are compatible.
Transfer content to and from the expander with ease using the 3.0 port. This gadget is great for anyone who wants to take their DVR’d shows on the go.
Promising review: “I needed a disk with an external power supply to use with the DVR function of our Wally. This drive was plug and play and works great.”
You may also like: Convert your old VHS tapes to digital in time for the holidays
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
