Smart TVs offer many advantages, such as smartphone pairing, making home entertainment even more convenient and straightforward than was ever possible in the past. Those new to smart TV technology often wonder if they can use it to record their favorite shows for later viewing. So, can you record on a smart TV?
You can record on a smart TV. To record on a smart TV, simply highlight the program you wish to record in your TV guide menu and press the ‘Record’ button on your smart TV remote. With PVR/DVR recording, you can watch and record multiple programs simultaneously and store them for later viewing.
This article will explain how to record on a smart TV and the different storing options and methods available to you.
We’ll also go over some of the most frequently asked questions about recording on a smart TV, such as how many programs can be recorded at once and how long it can store recorded programs.
By the time you’ve finished this article, you’ll have no trouble managing your PVR, so let’s get started!
How To Record on a Smart TV
These days, almost all smart TVs come with a built-in PVR (personal video recorder) or DVR (digital video recorder), which allows you to save, record, and store shows, series, movies, and anything airing live.
Although it can take a little bit of getting used to at first, and there’s a slight learning curve, recording on a smart TV is, thankfully, a fairly simple and easy-to-learn process.
While every smart TV brand will vary slightly in its layout, setup, and recording method, the process of recording on a smart TV will always be quite similar.
Follow these steps to record on your smart TV:
- Turn on your smart TV and press the ‘Guide’ button on your smart TV remote.
- Using the directional arrow buttons on your smart TV remote, scroll through the program guide until you find the program(s) you’d like to record.
- Highlight the program(s) you wish to record on the guide and press the record button on your smart TV remote (a large red circle).
Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll receive a notification on the screen alerting you that you’re recording the program.
To view your recorded programs and those scheduled to record, press the ‘Menu’ button on your smart TV remote.
Once you’ve opened the menu, look for anything that says PVR/DVR/Recordings. Click on this option, and you’ll find recording-related programs and options.
On some smart TVs, you’ll have the ability to set an automatic pre-recording of every episode of a particular series. This saves you from having to manually select the program each time it runs.
Storage Options
All smart TVs have an internal storage hard drive or a cloud storage system to store your recorded programs on the TV/cloud without using an external storage device.
When this space is full, your smart TV will prompt you to delete old recordings to make room for new ones.
Many smart TVs will also allow you to record programs onto an external USB hard drive as well.
This can be particularly convenient for those who wish to watch their programs elsewhere or don’t want to sacrifice the memory space on their smart TV’s internal storage system.
How To Record on an External USB Hard Drive
To record and store onto an external USB hard drive, plug your hard drive into your smart TV via the USB port (located on the side or back of the TV).
Next, highlight the program you want to record and press the ‘Record’ button on your smart TV remote.
Your smart TV will conduct a performance test on the storage device to ensure that it can store your show.
If your smart TV deems your USB drive acceptable, it’ll save your recording(s) there instead of on your PVR/DVR.
If you’re interested in purchasing a high-quality USB hard drive for recording directly from your smart TV, I recommend the Western Digital HDD External USB Hard Drive. Never purchase a cheap and poor-quality USB hard drive, as it has a greater likelihood of corrupting, which can cause you to lose all of your stored files.
Some smart TV users have attempted to record and store on USB sticks with varying degrees of success.
Some USB sticks, particularly the higher quality and most expensive ones, may be able to store programs from your smart TV.
Others may not be recognizable to your smart TV. If that’s the case, they’ll be unsupported for recording.
Frequently Asked Questions About Smart TV Recording
Now that we’ve shown you how to record and store programs with your smart TV, let’s quickly go over some of the most frequently asked questions about this.
How Many Programs Can You Record at One Time?
PVR will allow you to record or schedule four recordings at one time.
If you try to exceed four recordings at once, your smart TV will notify you that too many programs are already scheduled to be recorded, and you must cancel one of them to continue.
While you can only record four programs at one time on PVR, if one finishes earlier than the rest, or if they conclude at different times, you can begin recording new shows immediately.
How Long Will Your Recorded Programs Be Stored?
PVR recordings will remain on the cloud or the hard drive for one year from their recording time. This is assuming that you’ve not reached the hourly limitation allowed by the PVR system.
If you reach your storage limit, the PVR system will automatically delete the oldest recording to make room for new ones as you schedule them.
Different smart TVs and clouds have different storage capacities. The cloud’s storage capacity allowance will depend on how many hours of programming you’re recording and the video’s quality (for example, 4K recordings will take up more storage space than HD).
How Far in Advance Can You Set a Program To Record?
You can schedule a program to record as far in advance as your guide allows. As long as you can view a program in your guide and it’s present in the scheduled programming list, you can record it. This means that, theoretically, you could schedule programs to be recorded days or even weeks in advance of their airtime.
Can Recorded Programs Be Paused/Rewinded/Fast Forwarded?
Programs that you’ve recorded will allow you to pause, fast forward, and rewind them. This is very convenient, as it’ll allow you to skip through and avoid commercial advertising quickly.
Because of this, many people will intentionally pre-record shows to watch them without advertising, even though they are not busy during the initial airtime.
Can You View Other Shows While Recording?
Yes, you can watch other shows while simultaneously recording programs on other channels for later viewing. To do this, simply set up your scheduled recording as normal and then proceed to watch whatever other program you’d like.
Although, if you have four programs recording at the same time and are still channel surfing in the background, you may notice a slight reduction in your television speed as this is a lot of demand.
Can You Record Live Programs?
It’s possible to record live programming on PVR/DVR the same way you would any other program. This is great for rewatching sporting events, live concerts, and award shows after they’ve aired.
Recording sporting events are a perfect way for devout sports fans to review and replay the highlights from their favorite games, which comes in handy when you are particularly invested in a certain team or athlete.
Can you record on a smart tv? Conclusion
Smart TVs can record shows and store them internally, making them extremely convenient and practical when you’re busy or won’t be home to watch live.
In addition to internal storage, it’s also possible to record onto an external USB hard drive directly from your smart TV.
With smart TV recording capability, you’ll never have to miss your favorite shows again.
Are You Still Struggling With Your device?
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