With lifelong televisions, if you wanted to record a live TV show, you needed a DVD recorder or VHS tapes. Today with the arrival of Smart TV, the entire recording process has been greatly simplified. All you need now is a pendrive or an external hard drive to store the video and play it whenever you want.
If you do not have a Smart TV, you can also use the typical decoders that some teleoperators usually provide when you purchase a TV + Internet plan. These decoders usually have an internal storage unit, so you can also use them to record any content that you have not watched live.
On-demand TV apps
Before starting, remember that there are already many apps that offer content on-demand if you have a Smart TV. If you missed your favorite program, you can use some apps to watch the most recent programs that the network has already broadcasted.
Decoders
If you have a decoder from Euskaltel, Movistar, Orange, Vodafone, or any other operator, you will be happy to know that you have a little gem at home. These devices not only allow you to watch the DTT channels and the rest of the unique channels by the operator, but they also have several extra functions.
- Scheduled recordings: You can record a DTT program or series and configure it to automatically record the rest of the chapters that will be broadcast in the future. In this way, you avoid having to press the record button whenever the program is broadcast. Perfect for people who are forgetful or who are not always at home.
- Multiple recordings: Another great advantage of decoders is that they also allow several programs to be recorded simultaneously. Thus, if your two favorite programs are broadcast at the same time, you will no longer have to decide which of the two to record. You can record both with your decoder.
The only downside that decoders have is that they normally increase the price of the monthly rate you have contracted with your operator. Before doing anything, you must assess whether you are really going to use it or not.
How to record TV shows on a Smart TV
If you have a smart TV and a good USB flash drive, recording programs is a piece of cake. The recording process will be different depending on the brand and model of your Smart TV, although they all work more or less the same.
Sony: live or scheduled recording
Sony Smart TVs, like the Bravia models, use the Android TV interface. The recording system is quite clean and straightforward, but you must take a couple of details into account:
- Insert a USB drive of at least 32GB. Otherwise, Sony will not accept it as a valid recording unit.
- Plug the USB drive into the port labeled ” USB HDD REC .” This port is usually on the back of the TV, next to the HDMI connection ports. If you do not connect the pendrive or hard disk to this port, the TV will not be able to configure it as a recording unit.
- When the TV detects the USB drive, it will show us several options. Select ” Register to record .” Once registered as a recording drive, all programs will be stored on this USB device.
- From here, when you want to record a program, click on the record button that you will see on the remote. To stop recording, click on the “Exit” button.
If you have problems with the USB configuration, you can also try by opening the TV settings menu and going to “Watch TV -> Recording device settings.”
If you want to schedule the recording, you can also do it from the “Guide” menu. Find the program you want to watch and which will be broadcast in a few hours, and click on it. Select the “Scheduled recording” option.
Recording shows on a Samsung TV
As we said above, all modern TVs have a very similar recording process. In the case of Samsung televisions, click on the “Guide” button on the remote to access today’s programming.
- Locate the program at the time and channel that is broadcast.
- Click on it, and among the available options, select “Burn.”
- Alternatively, you can also press the red “REC” button that you will see on the remote control to start recording what is currently being seen on the screen.
You can do this with programs, series, or movies broadcasting at the moment. You can also use it to make scheduled recordings.
- Enter the guide and choose the program you want to record.
- Hold down the enter button for a moment until a pop-up window appears. Select “Schedule Recording.”
The only thing you have to worry about is having an external hard drive that you connect to the TV’s USB port. Based on the manufacturer’s recommendation, the USB drive should have a speed of at least 5,400rpm.
LG Smart TVs
LG is one of the Smart TV manufacturers with products that stand out for their great value for money. This has made their televisions really popular and, of course, among its functions is also the possibility of recording our favorite show, series or soap opera.
- Make sure you connect a hard drive or USB stick to the TV. The USB drive must not have a capacity greater than 2TB.
- Press on the central button of the remote control and select “OK.”
- You will see a red button in the lower-left area: click on this button to see the different recording options.
- Choose the duration of the recording and other options, such as the storage device. When you have everything to your liking, click on “Record.”
If you want to stop or end the recording at any time, you have to click on the Magic Control button on the wheel or use the “OK” button on the conventional remote. From there, you can pause the playback, save it, cancel the recording or even modify the end time.
