Alternatives To TiVO: Our Research Is Here For You

The Amazon Fire TV Recast is currently the finest TiVO substitute available. It features great support for other Fire TV family members, a slick user interface, and good DVR recording quality.

Best Overall Alternative TiVO: Amazon Fire TV Recast

The Fire TV Recast, a member of the Fire TV family of streaming devices, is Amazon’s own OTA DVR product.

Using the Fire TV Recast would be similar to riding a bike if you already own a Fire TV Stick or any other Fire TV device.

The navigation system may use some updating, but it still serves its purpose effectively, much like every other Fire TV device now available.

The Recast is a wonderful option if you already use Amazon’s streaming device ecosystem because it requires a Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, or Fire TV Edition TV to function.

Models

There are two models of the Recast—a two-tuner and a four-tuner model—each with a slightly different pricing.

In terms of storage, the Recast has you covered when it comes to capturing HD content. The base two-tuner model includes a 500-gigabyte hard drive, while the larger four-tuner model has a larger, 1 terabyte hard disk.

An HD antenna must be purchased separately, and it must be connected to the Recast box before being connected to your Wi-Fi network.

There is presently no support for Windows PCs or Macs, and you won’t be able to control the Recast using a web gateway. Instead, you must use the Fire TV app to operate the device.

Additionally, you have access to a 14-day channel guide, allowing you to plan recordings up to 14 days in advance.

The tuners do a good job of obtaining the best signal possible, and the recording quality is quite decent.

The tape didn’t appear to have any anomalies that you would associate with compression or poor recording quality, except from the compression from the broadcast itself.

On an HD TV, HD recordings looked their best, and at 4K, the picture began to resemble an image that had Vaseline smeared all over it.

On a 4K TV, it doesn’t appear all that horrible, but if you look closely, you’ll see it.

Because the Recast had to transfer the footage via many networks, the recording quality on my phone was nearly identical to that of watching on television, although it was a little bit slower than watching on television.

Pros

Fantastic Fire TV companion.
Excellent recording quality at 1080p HD. Good UI.
Additional storage

Cons

requires a Fire TV Stick to function.
Recast for Amazon Fire TV
13,774 evaluations

Recast for Amazon Fire TV

With its well-designed user interface and compatibility with other Fire TV streaming devices, the Amazon Fire TV Recast is a great addition to the Fire TV family. The Recast is our top pick not just because to its seamless Fire TV integration but also to its near-source-level recording quality and user-friendly Fire TV software.

Best TiVo alternative to Sling TV is AirTV 2.

If you already have Sling TV, the AirTV 2 lets you watch local TV channels in HD on Sling and adds OTA DVR features.

Although it doesn’t require a subscription, the Sling TV app is necessary for it to function.

The gadget, like the Recast, needs an HD antenna to locate nearby local HD channels.

The AirTV sends TV signals to your phone or smart TV by connecting to your router via Wi-Fi via a direct connection.

The Sling TV app will offer access to these programs.

But in order to utilize the AirTV as a DVR, you’ll need to buy an external hard drive since it lacks built-in storage.

Otherwise known as a conventional TV tuner, the Sling TV app allows you to view local networks.

The system is also compatible with the AirTV player, Android TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.

Local channels cannot be viewed on an Apple TV or a web browser.

The AirTV was really simple to set up, and recording a few shows went smoothly. It also responded quickly when I planned a recording.

Live TV and the recording looked nearly identical due to the decent recording quality.

You can record two channels at once on the AirTV because it only has two tuners and no more features.

Pros

• Fantastic for Sling TV subscribers.
• tiny size
• expandable cabinets.
• No registration is necessary.

Cons

• Live TV cannot be paused.
• Sale
• 1,182 reviews for AirTV 2

AirTV 2

If you already subscribe to Sling TV, the AirTV 2 becomes a simple pick. It’s also a wonderful option if Sling is your main source of entertainment. The AirTV 2’s compact design allows it to fit practically anyplace in your house. A plus is the non-subscription model.

The best plug-and-play substitute for TiVO is Tablo Dual HDMI OTA DVR.

With its near-source quality recordings and broad range of compatible devices, the Tablo Dual HDMI is a decent improvement over its earlier iterations.

The Tablo Dual HDMI’s one restriction is that it cannot broadcast to a computer or a mobile device, nor can it stream over the internet when you are not logged into your home network.

The HD antenna, which is available separately, is connected to the Tablo DVR first, which makes setup quite simple.

Additionally, you must connect the Tablo’s hard drive, which is where you will save the recordings.

Tablo relies on external hard drives and other storage media because it lacks internal storage and cannot save recordings on them.

The DVR then adds network capabilities by connecting to your router through wired or wireless ethernet.

Install the Tablo app on your smart devices after connecting them to the same Wi-Fi network.

When the app is opened, the Tablo DVR may be found and configured right away.

As a result, the Tablo is a reliable plug-and-play choice that requires no setup to get the DVR functioning on your network.

To access the channel guide, the Tablo requires a membership service that costs roughly $5 per month or $50 per year.

You can also have an automatic skip for advertising across recorded material for an additional $2 or $20 per month.

While Tablo can work as a DVR when connected via HDMI to your TV, it is better used as a networked DVR that is connected solely over Wi-Fi. I discovered that the UI needs work because it was slower than the Amazon Fire TV Recast.

When you go wireless, you must have the app downloaded to your smart TVs, smartphones, or streaming devices in order to access the DVR material from any point in your home.

Pros

simple setup You only need to connect the DVR to your Wi-Fi and the HD antenna to get started.
Pause and rewind live TV.
Contains a Remote

Cons

Does not encrypt its recordings; as a result, it cannot conserve hard disk space.

Dual HDMI Tablo

If you want an OTA DVR system that is plug-and-play and simple to set up, the Tablo Dual HDMI is a fantastic option. The Tablo Dual HDMI DVR is an excellent option if you don’t have a Wi-Fi connection for the DVR because it can connect straight to your TV, unlike the other two DVRs in this review.

Selecting the Best TiVO alternatives

The subject of selecting the finest DVR for you is now at hand as you have a better understanding of how the competition is positioned.

To achieve that, you must comprehend what to look for in an excellent OTA DVR and what characteristics should set a particular device apart from the competition.

A HD tuner

The quantity of HD tuners is crucial since the more tuners you have, the more channels you can simultaneously record.

This implies that you can record both your favorite show and the weekend’s big football game at the same time.

Think about your use cases and choose an OTA DVR with several tuners if you wish to record numerous channels.

Storage

The most crucial features of a DVR are its storage capacities and whether additional storage can be added.

The size of your storage also affects how much you can record and store on the DVR before you have to delete earlier recordings.

If you mostly record in HD, I advise getting an OTA DVR with at least 500 gigabytes of storage.

Although recording in standard definition will undoubtedly take up less space, the quality loss and aspect ratio change is reason enough for me to advise against doing so if HD is an option.

Fees

Some OTA DVRs charge a one-time or monthly subscription for their services.

When compared to other DVRs, paid DVR services like this typically offer more functionality, so before you subscribe, review the specifics of their paid plans.

Otherwise, you can purchase a DVR without a fee, but be mindful that it might not have all of the functions that the premium DVR does.

Guide Information

The channel guide is a list of shows that will air on the channel for a set period of time.

Unlike a typical TV box, a DVR only has access to a few weeks’ or, in some cases, a few days’ worth of the channel guide.

Make sure the DVR you choose includes a channel guide that works with your schedule if you typically or want to schedule recordings.

Swapping Out Your TiVO

For those who want to entirely give up cable TV but still want to see local news and record programming that is only available on TV, OTA DVRs are a fantastic option.

The Amazon Fire TV Recast is the top OTA DVR that I can suggest.

The user interface, recording quality, and overall software support that Amazon has promised make it the best option in my opinion, even though it requires a Fire TV Stick to function.

If you subscribe to Sling TV, AirTV is a better option than the Recast.

The only drawback is that it lacks internal storage and relies on an external hard disk to store recorded data.

Sometimes, it’s best to just plug in something and sit back to witness it working on its own.

If you belong to this group, the Tablo Dual HDMI DVR is the best choice.