You're probably looking for the best DVR so you can record all of your Kansas City Chiefs games or cooking and baking shows on Food Network.
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.
The Bolt VOX is a cable DVR and streaming device in one, and it’s no shock the original DVR champion reigns supreme.
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.
And with 4K Ultra resolution, you can stream your Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube. If you're like me, you like your marathon-watching weeknights after work.
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"?
Other DVRs may have fast-forwarding, but you end up missing the beginning of the scene, rewinding, then fast-forwarding. yeah, it gets tedious.
QuickMode is great because you can breeze through a show 30% faster with audio at regular pitch. If you spaced out during dialogue or a plot explanation, you can quickly back up and catch it without re-watching the whole thing at regular speed. Plus, no helium voices!
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.
About a year ago, we didn't like the TiVo Bolt's extra fees for the DVR service. But now, they include the DVR service with the DVR itself.
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!
The TiVo Bolt VOX is for those who want a DVR with lots of storage space without paying for a cable or satellite TV bill or your cable provider's set-top box and DVR fees.
If you don’t want to fuss with your equipment and want something that works and will hold its value, this is definitely the way to go.
The Hopper Duo is $10 per month, but paying $15 per month for the Hopper 3 might be worth it for you if you'd rather have 3x the storage space.
The Hopper Duo can record 125 hours of programming and two shows simultaneously, but the Hopper 3 boasts 500 hours of storage, records up to 16 streams, and connects all of your TVs from the main unit. That's the biggest storage space of 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.
What really makes the Hopper jump(!) out is its special features: AutoHop, voice control, and remote finder. AutoHop skips commercials with a single button, no guesswork needed. The voice control remote means you don’t have to select and type individual letters into your search, while the remote finder is a lifesaver for anyone who has spent more time looking for the remote than watching their show.
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.
It’s hard to say anything negative about the Hopper 3 since it has about everything we need from a DVR. Perhaps because it’s the current gold standard, we don’t have much to complain about—except that we wish it were absolutely free.
If you’re looking for a new service with a great DVR, the DISH Hopper 3 can be a great option.
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.
TV fanatics love DVRs. Who possibly has the time to watch every new show at the exact time it premiers?
DVR is a must unless you're ready to watch Grey's Anatomy at exactly 7 PM every Thursday night or Survivor on Wednesday nights. 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.
Most DVRs let 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.
For sports fans, instant replay goes six seconds back, so you don’t have to wait for the highlight reel. 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, an MLB game, a movie, and two TV shows all at once.
