We found a few DVRs that could satisfy your DVR storage needs, including smooth features that make it easy to access your recordings. Of course, there’s pricing and the fact that not every DVR is perfect, but we’ve focused on DVRs that are worth your time. Let’s get into the details of our five favorite DVRs. This DVR lets you record up to 150 HD hours of TV shows and movies. That means you can record 30 episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, 10 episodes of PAW Patrol, and about 60 movies. A cool feature the TiVo Bolt has is SkipMode. Who doesn’t love skipping commercials about cat litter or the next cool car that’s supposed to get you “the girl”? And lastly, the fluid interface uses OneSearch. So, if you want to watch Deadpool or Star Wars: Rogue One but aren’t sure which service it’s available from, you won’t have to jump between apps. So when you pay that $330 for the TiVo Bolt VOX (or six payments of $55), you have DVR service for life. No need to pay monthly or yearly fees! So honestly, we don’t have If you don’t want to fuss with your equipment, and if you want something that works and will hold its value, this is definitely the way to go. The Hopper Duo can record 125 hours of programming and record two shows at once, but the Hopper 3 boasts 500 hours of storage, records up to 16 streams, and can connect all of your TVs from the main unit. That’s the biggest storage space of among all cable and satellite TV services. It’s a ridiculous amount perfect for binge-watching shows like Saturday Night Live, The Kitchen, and Fix My Flip. If you’re looking for Over-the-Air recording (free broadcast signals that can be picked up by antennas), you will need a separate USB antenna. But other than that, the Hopper 3 is good to go. It will even send signals to your Joey units (additional receivers), so the whole home is hooked up. The Hopper 3 is Bluetooth compatible with headphones and other devices, which is nice if you want to watch TV privately. That way, if others are asleep or studying, you can still catch up on your shows. If you already have DISH, you might as well stick with or upgrade to the Hopper 3 instead of getting the TiVo Bolt VOX. If you’d like extra storage space, just add an external hard drive. We like to pause the game to grab snacks or use the bathroom, but DVRs are also great when life interrupts your flow and you need to help someone in with the groceries or drop the kids off at practice. If you’re coming home late from work or just want to avoid ads, you can start recording, give yourself 5–10 minutes of prep-time, hit play, and watch the game “live” with all the conveniences of playback control. Most DVRs lets you set a DVR recording from your mobile app, and DIRECTV isn’t any different. With the DIRECTV Genie, you can also pause and rewind live HDTV for up to 90 minutes. So even if you forgot to set the recording before you went to work, you can still catch up. Instant replay goes six seconds back, so you don’t have to wait for the highlight reel, either. You’ve got a 30-second fast-forward button that cuts past ads, boring halftime shows, and scoreless runs. You can record up to five programs at once with the Genie, so you can record an NBA game, MLB game, a movie, and two TV shows all at once. Another minor complaint is the included remote control isn’t equipped for voice recognition. While you can use a device like your phone or tablet, we’d prefer the dedicated unit to have this feature. That way, we can use our spare device to look up other things, like player or game stats—or pizza delivery services near us. But DIRECTV’s remote does have convenient buttons. Press “R” to record a show, fast forward and backward 30 seconds with the advance buttons, and skip back six seconds if you didn’t catch that great Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes connection. On top of that, the Genie gives you real-time scores of major games with the press of a single button. We recommend the Genie for a lot of uses, but it excels at sports. With your voice remote, you can say commands like “Turn on NBA TV” and the X1 will grant you your wish. Plus, the X1 guide gives you player and team stats, so your sports experience is even more fluid. To find more movies from Margot Robbie, just hover over a Margot Robbie movie in the guide, then click info. Here you’ll find Series and Movie Info to find more information about the actors. Then you can even set up recordings based on your favorite actors or directors! Xfinity’s X1 is actually a cloud DVR, which essentially means you can watch your recordings on any device. You and your family can also record six shows at once. Each TV box is $7.50 per month, and DVR storage service starts at $10.00 a month for 150 hours and $20 a month for 300 hours. So, on top of your monthly Xfinity package bill, you could be looking at at least a $17.50 bill for the X1 experience. This isn’t too bad, but your pricing can rack up if your kids wants a set-top box in their bedrooms and if you’d rather have 300 DVR storage hours instead of 150. If you’re not subscribed, then we must say Xfinity is our top cable TV option. While more storage and special features would be nice, the X1’s ease of use and mobile abilities have been beneficial. However, if you’re not looking to sign up for internet too, we’d advise looking at another DVR because the functionality is severely reduced when you’re not connected to the internet. If you want more details, check out our X1 DVR Review. With the Homeworx, you can store as many hours as your USB hard drive allows you (yes, you’ll have to connect one to this DVR). Then you can record Modern Family, NFL games, and Mickey Mouse Funhouse. What can I watch over the air? If you’re looking to record movies to store in your DVR for months, you’re going to need a USB hard drive. If you’d like to record more than one show at once, you’d be better off with the TiVo Bolt VOX. You’ll also need a reliable internet connection, so make sure to check our list of fastest internet providers. Some DVRs even automatically record recommendations based on your viewing. The DISH Hopper 3 automatically records primetime television. While this may appear helpful, it may take up a good chunk of storage without you realizing it. Some DVRs expand your storage with cloud storage or an external hard drive, so keep that in mind as well when making your decision. With the DISH Hopper 3, you can get up to 16 recordings going at once (which is ridiculous). When you use additional units like the Joey, Genie Mini, or TiVo Mini, you’re increasing the number of individual streams to TVs, but rarely (if ever) do these devices add storage. That being said, we absolutely love when fast-forwarding is available. Better yet, we love when we can skip immediately to the end of a commercial. TiVo has SkipMode and DISH has AutoHop, both of which automatically go to the end of a commercial and remove the guesswork on your end, preventing possible spoilers—or at least some frustration.
TiVo Bolt VOX: The Bolt gives you 150 hours of DVR storage, and although it looks pricey at $330, you’ll never have to worry about paying monthly for a set-top box or DVR service. You’ll be able to record TV shows and movies for the rest of your life with no strings attached. DISH Hopper 3: If you want the most storage a TV service DVR can give you, get the Hopper 3. It’s going to be hard to fill 500 hours of DVR storage, and it can also be a blessing in disguise because your family will never have to fight over who can record what. DIRECTV Genie: Perfect for sports fans because of DIRECTV’s NFL SUNDAY TICKET, the Genie comes in second for satellite TV. You can record all of your Dallas Cowboys games for the season and you’d still never fill the 200-hour DVR storage. Xfinity X1: The X1 has some pretty cool features, like finding movies with actors we like, but the X1 comes with a few fees. Xfinity is the best cable TV provider, but you’ll just have to budget for the DVR service. Mediasonic Homeworx: The Mediasonic Homeworx is an inexpensive one-time purchase, but don’t forget you’ll need to provide your own antenna and external hard drive to receive as many channels as you possibly can and record your favorite TV series.
While Over the Air isn’t 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 VOX, DISH Hopper 3, DIRECTV Genie, and Mediasonic Homeworx.
