DirectTV Stream, better known as AT&T TV earlier, is one of the numerous live TV streaming services that grant viewers access to many popular cable networks without the need for a cable box or satellite dish. A common question that users may have been, is whether DirectTV Stream capable of making recordings of shows aired live like that of a DVR cable box. So, in this post, let me explain to you all about DirectTV Stream’s recording features and the constraints that come with them.
The Short Answer
A notable exception in this regard is DirectTV Stream, which, at least in theory, allows its subscribers to record live TV to a cloud DVR. DirectTV Stream offers users 20 hours of cloud DVR storage, but to increase the amount of storage for recordings users must pay an extra fee per month. Yes, it is true that like any cable DVR, you can set up live TV shows, sporting events, movies, and more on DirectTV Stream to be recorded for later use.
Tutorial of the Recording Basics on DirectTV Stream
The cloud DVR feature of DirectTV Stream is quite similar and functions like how a set-top cable DVR does. To record a program, you just highlight the program in the Electronic Program Guide or while watching TV live, and then select the ‘Record’ mode. Your recordings will then be recorded in your DVR cloud storage, which you can find on the DVR tab, and then watch at your leisure.
It also allows you to record a show that is on later, and begin recording an entire series so that the next episode will be recorded automatically, if you have to leave the room during a live broadcast you can pause it so it doesn’t start a new show when you are away, and many more. Indeed, the majority of the benefits of having a home DVR are available in DirectTV Stream cloud DVR.
Upgrading Cloud DVR Storage
According to what was highlighted above, DirectTV Stream offers its subscribers twenty cloud DVR recording hours right from the start. For many light TV watchers, this may be more than enough, especially given that one often ends up watching something they did not intentionally choose. However, the higher level of TV viewership implies that a viewer may need to consider purchasing additional cloud storage capacity.
DirectTV Stream has an option for the upgrade of 50 hours at $5 per month, 200 hours at $10 per month, and unlimited hours at $15 per month. Upgrading gives you the privilege of having more recordings to be in a position to listen at your convenience. Although you may not watch a lot of live programs, it is something you may consider doing just so your favorite recording does not disappear from your DVR before you get a chance to watch it.
Record More Than One Show at a Time
Another topical issue that is frequently discussed around cloud DVR is the question “Can I record two programs simultaneously?” And the answer is yes. DirectTV Stream has an option for storing up to 20 streams at once based on your subscription plan, the basic one with 20 hours of storage. Thus it means that in case 20 shows happen to air that you would wish to record are all aired at the same time, then it can handle it without a hitch. Thus it can be seen that there is no need to focus on what to record and what not to record as all these are going to end up in a dump.
Should you decide to upgrade hours of storage using one of the add-ons described above, you can also record as many as 20 streams simultaneously with those. It does not matter how much cloud DVR storage you purchase, the maximum number of recordings that can be in operation at the same time is 20.
Internet Connection Reliability
Due to the fact DirectTV Stream uses the internet to relay its live TV feed, it is logical to raise the question of internet consistency. Suppose one day you lost connection to the internet for a couple of hours, what would have happened to your recordings? Will the recordings be interrupted or even not exist at all any longer?
Fear not, though: DirectTV Stream’s app is well protected against regular, run-of-the-mill internet changes. It means that if you for a short time lost connection with the Internet, the recording stopped, and as soon as the Internet connection became stable, the recording would resume from the point it stopped with no loss of the footage. The same principle applies to the playback streaming of a recording, which will pause to buffer and then resume while you probably would not even blink.
But a long-duration internet break could cause some severe consequences. For instance, if your home internet was out of service for more than an hour, a recording session may be interrupted, and one could not record fully again as soon as the service comes back. Pause, rewinding, or forwarding recordings can also be a challenge, and streaming of recordings may fail or get interrupted mid-session.
Therefore, if you are planning to heavily rely on DirectTV Stream’s cloud DVR, it is recommended to have a relatively consistent, high-speed home internet connection. In this case, it is advisable to use wired internet instead of wireless because it is more stable, and the router should be powerful enough to provide a signal in the places where you live.
Incompatible Channels
Although most channels accessible on DirectTV Stream may be recorded, a selected number of live-streaming channels come with recording limitations. For example, Pay-Per-View events or programming are events that cannot be recorded once they are over. And this means no recording a movie to watch later or recording a show that has already aired for a while now. This is similar to the limitations that users see with the cable company’s traditional digital video recorder or DVR.
Some of the live channels also don’t allow recording for the same reason of copyrights. The restricted major channels for 2023 include ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU, ESPN 2K, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FX, FXX and National Geographic. However, if you are sure that you want to record absolutely everything, make sure that the channel which you are most interested in does not have a restriction.
Long-Term Cloud Storage
An issue often raised for cloud DVRs as against set-top DVRs is the issue of storage that spans for several days. If I take a lot of movies, shows, and other content, can I keep it there forever like having old home recordings stored on a DVD rack at DirectTV Stream?
Unfortunately, they do not offer long-term perpetual storage for cloud DVR services though some of their competitors may offer such a service. Content that is recorded from Movies and shows saved in your cloud DVR will be removed after 90 days from the recording date. This means that storage is always being cleared for new recordings and there are no endless heaps of archives containing content.
Therefore, if you have home recordings, which you would deem as valuable troves that should remain with you forever, then a cloud DVR by itself is not the best solution for you. Occasionally one would have to download favorites to a physical device or a drive before they disappear from the Cloud.
Playback and Streaming Quality
The last consumer-related question – how playback quality and streaming reliability are different between Cloud DVR recordings and Live TV streaming with Direct TV streaming?
The good news is streaming quality is very strong, no matter whether the application involves streaming under the same type or not. Playback streaming of cloud DVR recordings is nearly as fast and compressed as DirectTV Stream live feed Equivalents between direct DirecTV stream live feed and playback streaming of cloud DVR recording in terms of speed, resolution, and compression.
The streams come from the same servers and networking pathways which means that the reliability while watching the episodes live and during cloud DVR is the same. Both tend to stream quite soundly with streaming buffers in place to handle momentary home internet issues.
Using this kind of connection while streaming now over a mobile network or while traveling could also experience more variability depending on the cellular network conditions. But if performed primarily at home, you can be certain that cloud DVR recordings will play out as smoothly as live channel streaming on DirectTV Stream’s platform.
Conclusion
To sum up, the answer is yes, you can record live TV with DirectTV Stream in the same manner as when you have cable TV. Its cloud DVR provides users with features such as scheduling recordings for different programs, recording two programs at once, pausing and going back to live TV, upgrading the storage, and watching recorded programs at any time.
Some obvious ones include - Channel and content limitations: There are; Long-term storage limitations: There are a few to consider. Also recommended to ensure that the internet connection is constant to enhance recording and playback streaming efficiency. However, considering everything, Direct TV Streams’ cloud DVR makes live TV watching convenient, controlled, and a matter of choice and preference for streaming cord-cutting enthusiasts today.
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