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Digital Video Recorders are all the rage now, and for goodreason. These nifty devices help you to make the most of your cable TVsubscription and all those channels you pay for. When you’re at work, or outshopping, there’s always something interesting on TV which you’re missing. So,it’s essential to have TV DVR.
If you look for the reviews of the best DVR options, you’llfind just a handful of models being promoted. Although in fairness they reallyare the top of the line devices for DVR recorders for TV, there are a myriad ofalternatives which are power packed themselves but largely unnoticed.
Here we are reviewing the DVR devices which are compatiblewith the major cable TV providers. It goes without saying that pretty much anyDVR will have basic features like pausing and rewinding live TV, parentalcontrols etc. so we are focusing on what’s different for each model. Read on tofind out about some workhorse devices which can fulfill all your recording andwatching needs.
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Best Spectrum DVR Device
Spectrum encrypts the signals onits network which means you can’t use just any ol’ cable box. For users who arethinking about subscribingto the Spectrum cable TV or are already subscribers, the following is thebest DVR device which works on Spectrum’s cable TV network.
Spectrum201
The Spectrum201 Advanced Cable DVR is manufactured by two different OEM brands, Technicolor and Humax. You could get any version, however there’s no actual difference between them in terms of performance and features. This model was previously known as “World Box DVR” or sometimes “World Box 2.0”.
The Spectrum201 TV DVR works for both SD and HD channels. TheTV guide of this cable box used to be so archaic that users complained aboutthe ancient look of the interface. However, recently most Spectrum HD receivershave had a guide update at no cost. You get full-screen HD guide with a blackbackground. The real geeks will recognize that it’s the iGuide software. Despitethe change in look, the navigation is still the same as long-time TWC/Spectrum usersare used to. An issue with resetting has also been fixed.
Now onto the most important specs of a DVR. Spectrum201 has 4 tuners, so you cansimultaneously record 4 channels. You’ll find other DVR reviewersmentioning models with as many as 16 tuners, but ask yourself, do you reallyneed that many? Most episodes are repeated on the same day so you have canrecord them in two different time frames. 4 tuners are more than enough formost of us.
In-built storage spaceon the Spectrum201 DVR is 1TB. That’s an impressive 300 hours of 720p HD videostorage. Here atLocal Cable Deals we are pretty avid consumers of TV shows ourselves. We leavesome shows to record on the Spectrum201 DVR while we’re working and in theevening catch up on them. We’re never short on storage space.
The maximum video output resolution is 1080p/60, 10-bits.There are two USB 2.0 master ports to connect to your home entertainmentsystem. We’re not going to delve into other details because the rest of thefeatures are pretty similar to other best DVR devices.
You’ll pay $11.99 monthly for the DVR. Besides this, the DVRservice fee is $12.99 – $19.99 depending on how many boxes you use.
Best Cox DVR Device
It’s a bit silly to state the best DVR for Cox because theydon’t offer several options. You have the Contour Record 6 HD-DVR as your firstoption and Contour Record 2 HD-DVR.
The Record 6 has sixsimultaneous recordings feature whereas the Record 2 has…you guessed it, 2 simultaneousrecordings feature. Here at Local Cable Deals we think that Contour Record 6hits the sweet spot when it comes to recording. Not too little, not too much.The Goldilocks of DVRs if you will.
The storage space onthe Contour Record 6 DVR is 2TB which Cox claims can hold up to 1000 hours of SD videocontent. Most of us watch at least 720p HD channels now, so cut the number downto a range of 500-600 hours storage forHD programs.
Besides this, the DVR offers show and movie recommendationsbased off your previous viewing activity, just like we’ve grown accustomed toon streaming services websites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.
If you combine it with Contour Record 2 HD-DVR on the otherTV’s in your house, you can have Whole Home Connected DVR service.
People don’t have a whole lot to say about the Contour Record6 besides these features, which we think is a good thing. It means it’s simple,does its job, and most people are happy with it. To get the Contour Record 6 DVR the equipment charge is $8.50/mo. DVR service charge $19.99/mo.
Best DirecTV DVR
Spectrum 201 T Manual
If you want to get the best DirecTV DVR based onfeatures then that’s the Genie DVR. This baby is 4k ready and has the abilityto connect up to 8 TV’s wirelessly with the DVR. Whoa! But, that’s not theDirecTV DVR we’ll talk about. Why? Like we said, there’s plenty of options outthere and we recommend the DIRECTV 500 Gigabyte 1080p HD DVR Satellite Receiverknown as HR24 in the market.
Spectrum 201-t Manual
For about $200 the HR24 can get youthe DVR capabilities that you will need the most. The device is a few yearsold, but still highly relevant for DirecTV DVR purposes. It has the option to record 2 channels simultaneously. You can alsostream on-demand video, watch YouTube or dance to Pandora.
Since it’s a 500 GB DVR, you can store up to 100 hours of 1080 HDvideo and 400 hours of SD video.
The HR24 DirecTV DVR has modernfeatures like interactive TV apps, searching for content by title, actor name,or any keyword you choose, and it has subtitles feature as well.
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Final Word
Sometimes it feels like technology is running far ahead of us– of what we need – and it may be smarter to just stick with what we’reactually going to use. The three DVR models we mentioned here can do the jobfor the vast majority of us. We think that these devices can even compete with2019’s best DVR’s.
If you want to get a DVR without cable TV provider’ssubscription, you might have to pay the “Cable Card” fee to your TV providerwhich is minimal. But apart from the cost of buying the DVR, you might have topay a monthly fee to the DVR manufacturer such as in the case of TiVo.
Spectrum 201-t User Manual Online
Happy DVR-ing!