Which Over-the-Air DVR is Right for You?
For almost 40 years I have used a wide variety of devices to record over-the-air (OTA) television content, starting with the Sony VO-1600, which recorded television on U-Matic cassettes. The lack of a timer and the one-hour time limit on that recorder was a pain, but not much programming ran more than an hour in the early 1970s, anyway.
Fast forward to today and “cord-cutting” is generating a resurgence in over-the-air television (OTA) viewership. At the same time it raises new challenges as to how to record/time-shift content in the absence of a carrier-provided DVR. Fortunately, technology has kept up with digital broadcasting, and there are now quite a few products and solutions to consider. There are different product configurations to fit various needs and budgets.
To find out which OTA DVR is right for your application, we set up on old-fashioned “bake-off” between Sling’s AirTV and their AirTV Player with Tuner adapter, Amazon Recast, Channel Master Stream+, Tablo Quad, and TiVo Bolt OTA. Each device records programs from broadcast TV stations, and each one has a program guide that is accessed through either Wi-Fi or a wired ethernet connection. Beyond that, however, there are categorical differences, as well as differences between the products that occupy the same category. Before determining which product is best for you it is important to understand what makes one product different from another.
