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Comparison of DVR software packages
List article

This is a comparison of digital video recorder (DVR), also known as personal video recorder (PVR), software packages.

Note: this is may be considered a comparison of DVB software, not all listed packages have recording capabilities.

General information

Basic general information for popular DVR software packages - not all actually record.

NameWindowsMacOSXLinuxBSDAndroidPriceLicenseLatest stable releaseNotes
Beyond TVYesNoNoNoNoDiscontinuedProprietary4.9.3 (Build 6535)October 15, 2010;14 years ago (2010-10-15)Not compatible with DVB tuners. While Snapstream is providing minor fixes for Beyond TV, they are no longer actively updating and developing the software as they are focusing on commercial applications. Despite the lack of a new version, their fanbase (in the forums) remains active and the program is still available.

Further information: List of digital television deployments by country

DVB DreamYesNoNoNoNoUS$49Proprietary3.7.1March 14, 2019;6 years ago (2019-03-14)1Focused on DVB and live TV
DVBViewerYesNoNoNoNo€20Proprietary6.1.5July 22, 2019;5 years ago (2019-07-22)2
Emby(formerly Media Browser)YesYesYesYesYes(client only)Crippleware34GPL & Proprietary4.6.7.0November 21, 2021;3 years ago (2021-11-21)5Compatible with SiliconDust HDHomeRun tuners.6
EyeTVNoYesNoNoNoBundledProprietary3.6.9 (build 7521)January 10, 2017;8 years ago (2017-01-10)Bundled for no extra charge with all Elgato USB tuners, but also sold separately for use with other tuners.
Hauppauge WinTVYesNoNoNoNoBundledProprietary8.5 (build 37122)May 2, 2019;5 years ago (2019-05-02)Bundled for no extra charge, only works with Hauppauge TV cards and peripherals.
InterVideo WinDVRYesNoNoNoNoDiscontinuedProprietary5.2March 29, 2010;15 years ago (2010-03-29)Discontinued. Used to be bundled for no extra charge with various TV tuner devices.
JellyfinYesYesYesYes(unofficially)Yes(client only)FreeGPL10.8.13November 29, 2023;16 months ago (2023-11-29)
JRiver Media CenterYesYesYesNoYesUS$59.98(multiple installations)Proprietary29.0.22March 22, 2022;3 years ago (2022-3-22)7DirectShow video player, madVR, LAV filters, HD audio, images, 10 foot GUI, Remote control, DLNA, Android/iPhone interface, automatic meta-data lookup for Audio, TV and Movies, fully customizable database
Kodi(formerly XBMC)YesYesYesYesYesFreeGPL21.0 "Omega"April 6, 2024;12 months ago (2024-04-06)8Cross-platform free and open-source software media center application, able to watch live or recorded TV, music, photos and has one of the most expansive collection of plugins/addons, enabling the system to do anything from browsing the web or downloading movies, to dimming the lights in the sitting room.
MediaPortalYesNoNoNoNoFreeGPLMP1: 1.23October 4, 2019;5 years ago (2019-10-04)9MP2: 2.2.2October 7, 2019;5 years ago (2019-10-07)10built on the .NET 2.0 Framework
MythTVLimited11YesYesYesNoFreeGPL33.1February 5, 2023;2 years ago (2023-02-05)12Under heavy development since 2002, and now contains most features one would expect from a good DVR.
NextPVRYesYesYesYesYes(client only)FreeProprietary6.1.5.231022October 22, 2023;17 months ago (2023-10-22)13Personal video recorder application for Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac and Docker. Supports a wide variety of devices, and a good set of features. Free for personal use. Commercial use requires a license.
SageTVYes14YesYesNoYes(client only)Free(was US$79.95/server, US$29.95/client)GPL(was Proprietary)9.2.2May 16, 2020Java based. SageTV was purchased by Google on June 20, 2011, and on August 10, 2015, it was announced that the project was converting to open-source development.15
ShowshifterYesNoNoNoNoDiscontinued(was £30)Proprietary3.12.2945May 14, 2005;19 years ago (2005-05-14)Supports some older TechnoTrend/Hauppauge boxes which are not BDA compliant, such as the Dec 2000-t/3000-s and first generation Nova-t USB boxes, which are unsupported by other PVR software.
tvtimeNoNoYesNoNoFreeGPL1.0.2November 10, 2005;19 years ago (2005-11-10)16High quality television application for use with video capture cards on Linux systems. tvtime processes the input from a capture card and displays it on a computer monitor or projector
Video Disk RecorderNoNoYesYesNoFreeGPL2.4.1June 17, 2019;5 years ago (2019-06-17)17TV Done Right, VDR can use one to eight video cards and support DVB-S, DVB-C and DVB-T. Record and read any DVB flux with a lot of plugins.
Windows Media CenterYesNoNoNoNo
  • Windows 8/8.1: US$69.99
  • Windows 8/8.1 Pro: US$9.99
  • Windows XP/Vista/7: Free
Proprietary6.3.9600.16384February 23, 2011;14 years ago (2011-02-23)Included with Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate editions and Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions. Was available for Windows 8 Pro and Windows 8.1 Pro as part of the Media Center Pack add-on, until it was discontinued on October 30, 2015.18 Available for Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 unofficially through a windows command script installer.19 Not available for Windows RT.
V@HomeYesYes20YesNoNoBundledProprietary2.59April 14, 2018;6 years ago (2018-04-14)21Bundled for no extra charge with VBox Home TV Gateway - Network TV Tuner, Manage and schedule recordings from any web browser, local or over the internet
NameWindowsMacOSXLinuxBSDAndroidPriceLicenseLatest stable releaseNotes

Features

Information about what common and prominent DVR features are implemented natively (without third-party add-ons unless stated otherwise):

DVRSubscription freeelectronic program guide (EPG)Power managementMultiple TV tuner cards supportCableCARD supportCAM supportATSC tuner supportAutomated commercial skippingTeletextSchedule timed recordingsPersonalized intelligent recording and scheduling22DRM supportDVB (T/T2, S/S2, C) tuner supportSmartphone/tabletplaybackSmartphone/tabletsyncingSmartphone/tabletremote control
Beyond TVYesYes23YesNo?YesYesNoYesYesNoNo???
EyeTVDVB;24 other guide info varies by region25YesYesNo?YesExternal add-onYesYesYesYesYes???
WinTVYesYesYesLimited26?YesNoYesYesYesNoYesYes??
Kodi(formerly XBMC)YesYesExternal add-onExternal add-onExternal add-onExternal add-onYesExternal add-onExternal add-onExternal add-onExternal add-onExternal add-onUsing PluginUsing PluginUsing Apps
NextPVRYes27YesYesPartial28YesYesYesYesYesYesUn­knownYesYes??
MediaPortalDVB29/XMLTV30YesYesPartial31Supported on some specific cardsYesUsing PluginYesYesYesPartial supportYesYes32?Yes33
MediaPhoenix/ShowShifterDVB34Un­knownYesNo?Un­knownNoNoYesYesUn­knownYesNoNoNo
MythTVDVB;35 other services region dependent36YesYesLimited37Yes38YesYesYesYesRequires external add-on39NoYes40Yes41NoYes42
SageTVYes (with former purchased license)YesYesPartial Using Plugin43?YesUsing Plugin44NoYesYesNo????
Video Disk RecorderYesYesYesNoYesYesNoUsing PluginYesUsing PluginNoYesUsing PluginNoUsing Plugin
Windows Media CenterYesYesYes45Yes46?YesExternal add-on47YesYesYes48Yes; also respects "do not record" flagSupports DVB-T/T2 and DVB-S/S2; does not support DVB-C49YesYesYes
VBox@TVDVB Guide info varies by broadcaster and TV service providerNoYesNoYesYes?YesYesYes?YesYesYesYes

Video format support

Information about what video codecs are implemented natively (without third-party add-ons) in the PVRs.

DVRMPEG-1MPEG-2MPEG-4 ASP(MPEG-4 Part 2),i.e. DivX, XviDH.264/MPEG-4 AVC(MPEG-4 Part 10)HEVC (H.265)VP8VP9WMVAVIASFQuickTimeMP4RealVideoMKV
Beyond TVYesYesYesYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownYesYesUn­knownNoNoNoUn­known
EyeTVYesYesUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­known
WinTVUn­knownYesYesYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­known
NextPVRUn­knownYesYesYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­known
Kodi(formerly XBMC)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
MediaPortalYesYesYesYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownYesYesYesNo50YesNo51Yes
MediaPhoenix/ShowShifterUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­known
MythTVYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
SageTVYesYesYesYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownYesYesYesYesYesUn­knownYes
Arcsoft TotalMedia TheatreYesYesYesYesUn­knownNoUn­knownYesYesYesYesYesYesUn­known
Windows Media CenterYesYesYesYes5253Un­knownUn­knownUn­knownYesYesYesYes5455Yes5657No58Un­known
VBox@TVYesYesYesYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­known

Network support

Each features is in context of computer-to-computer interaction. All features must be available after the default install otherwise the feature needs a footnote.

DVRTuner SharingHard Disk PoolingShared Media DatabaseHome AutomationMedia ExtendersPlaceshifting/SpaceshiftingTwo-way Remote ControlSecond Screen
Beyond TVYesYesNoNoYesYesNoUn­known
EyeTVUn­knownUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­known
NextPVRYesUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­known
Kodi (formerly XBMC)YesYesYesYes4YesUn­knownYes3Un­known
MediaPortalYesYesYesYesYesYesYes4Un­known
MediaPhoenix/ShowShifterUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­knownUn­known
MythTVYesYesYesYes3YesYesYesUn­known
SageTVYesYesUn­knownUn­knownYesYesUn­knownUn­known
Arcsoft TotalMedia TheatreYesYesYesNoYesYesNoUn­known
Windows Media CenterYes6Yes7YesYes2YesYes5Yes2Un­known
VBox@TVYesUn­knownYesUn­knownUn­knownYesYesUn­known

1 Yes with registry change 2 Yes with retail third-party plugin 3 Yes with free supported third-party plugin 4 Yes with free unsupported third-party plugin 5 Yes with free third-party software Web Guide 4 6 Yes with add-on software called DVBLink Server 7 Yes with using symlinks, or just adding folders in settings

TV tuner hardware

Main article: TV tuner card

TV gateway network tuner TV servers DVRs require TV tuner cards to receive signals. Many DVRs, as seen above, can use multiple tuners.

HdHomerun has CableCARD Models (HDHomeRun Prime) and OTA Models (HDHomeRun Connect) that are networked TV Tuners

See also

Notes

References

  1. "DVB Dream". www.dvbdream.org. Retrieved 2019-10-23. https://www.dvbdream.org/ ↩

  2. "DVBViewer 6.0.0". DVBViewer community forum. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 2019-10-23. https://www.dvbviewer.tv/forum/topic/59624-dvbviewer-600/ ↩

  3. Emby Server is available for free under GPL which provides web access to the library. Client software is generally free when connected to an Emby Premiere-licensed server, though some, like Emby on the Windows Store, cost $4.99.[3] /wiki/Windows_Store ↩

  4. Premiere license costs $4.99/month, $49.99/year, or $99.99 for lifetime.[4] ↩

  5. "Emby: Latest Versions". Emby. 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-01-15. https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/21348-emby-latest-versions/ ↩

  6. "Introducing the new Live TV for Emby (and a new Emby Server beta)". Emby. Archived from the original on 2015-08-26. Retrieved 2015-08-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20150826195357/http://emby.media/introducing-the-new-live-tv-for-emby-and-a-new-emby-server-beta/ ↩

  7. "Release Notes MC25". JRiverWiki. Retrieved 2019-10-23. https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes_MC25 ↩

  8. "Kodi". 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2024-07-13. https://kodi.tv/article/kodi-21-0-omega-release/ ↩

  9. "MediaPortal 1.23 Final Regeszter Edition". MediaPortal. Retrieved 2019-10-23. https://www.team-mediaportal.com/news/mediaportal-1-23-release ↩

  10. "MediaPortal 2.2.2 Release". MediaPortal. Retrieved 2019-10-23. https://www.team-mediaportal.com/news/mediaportal-2-2-2-release ↩

  11. Porting MythTV to Windows is under development.[11] ↩

  12. "Release Notes - 33". MythTV Official Wiki. Retrieved 2023-07-14. https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Release_Notes_-_33 ↩

  13. "6.1.5.231022 Available (22nd October 2023)". NextPVR Forums. Retrieved 2024-02-07. https://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?tid=65136 ↩

  14. There is also a Windows Home Server Edition ↩

  15. "SageTV is Open Source!!!". SageTV Community. Retrieved 2015-08-20. http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62315 ↩

  16. "tvtime: High quality video for Linux". tvtime.sourceforge.net. Retrieved 2019-10-23. http://tvtime.sourceforge.net/downloads.php ↩

  17. "ANNOUNCE - VDR Version 2.4.1". VDR Portal. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-23. https://www.vdr-portal.de/forum/index.php?thread/132836-announce-vdr-version-2-4-1/ ↩

  18. "Windows 8 and 8.1 Pro Pack and Media Pack are no longer available to buy". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2016-09-06. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3107057 ↩

  19. Allan, Patrick (10 September 2015). "Get Windows Media Center Running on Windows 10 in a Few Easy Steps". Retrieved 2016-09-09. https://lifehacker.com/get-windows-media-center-running-on-windows-10-with-a-f-1729919907/ ↩

  20. Manage and schedule recordings ↩

  21. "Guides and Downloads". www.vboxcomm.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23. https://www.vboxcomm.com/shop-support/download.html ↩

  22. A system similar to TiVo's which enables the DVR/PVR application to record programs based on past viewing habits and interests. /wiki/TiVo ↩

  23. To take advantage of operating system power management with Beyond TV, the main user interface must be closed. ↩

  24. Supports over-the-air EPG when using cards/boxes which support this functionality, and in areas where such a service is available. For example, over-the-air 7-day programme data is available in the UK for DVB-T services (Freeview, TopUp TV etc; DVB-T2 listings for Freeview HD are encrypted) and Freesat (DVB-S/S2).[f 8] /wiki/Freeview_(UK) ↩

  25. Elgato's contract with TitanTV for the US market expired in 2010. When it expired, TV Guide became the sole EPG provider for EyeTV in the United States. There, one year of TV Guide EPG service costs $19.95.[20][21] ↩

  26. Support is limited to content broadcast as 'copy freely' (DRM Free) ↩

  27. Natively supports broadcast EPG. Able to use alternative EPG, like XMLTV and Schedules Direct in countries that don't provide a decent broadcast EPG. ↩

  28. Support is limited to content broadcast as 'copy freely' (DRM Free) ↩

  29. Supports over-the-air EPG when using cards/boxes which support this functionality, and in areas where such a service is available. For example, over-the-air 7-day programme data is available in the UK for DVB-T services (Freeview, TopUp TV etc; DVB-T2 listings for Freeview HD are encrypted) and Freesat (DVB-S/S2).[f 8] /wiki/Freeview_(UK) ↩

  30. Supports XMLTV programme data which is provided by various sources for various costs depending on territory. For example, the (supported) 14-day Radio Times feed for the UK is free of charge. ↩

  31. Version 1.5.0 or higher required - only 'Copy Freely' support - No Encrypted 'Copy Once' support[22] ↩

  32. via aMPdroid app; requires WifiRemote and MpExtended plugins[23] ↩

  33. via aMPdroid app; requires WifiRemote and MpExtended plugins[23] ↩

  34. Supports over-the-air EPG when using cards/boxes which support this functionality, and in areas where such a service is available. For example, over-the-air 7-day programme data is available in the UK for DVB-T services (Freeview, TopUp TV etc; DVB-T2 listings for Freeview HD are encrypted) and Freesat (DVB-S/S2).[f 8] /wiki/Freeview_(UK) ↩

  35. Supports over-the-air EPG when using cards/boxes which support this functionality, and in areas where such a service is available. For example, over-the-air 7-day programme data is available in the UK for DVB-T services (Freeview, TopUp TV etc; DVB-T2 listings for Freeview HD are encrypted) and Freesat (DVB-S/S2).[f 8] /wiki/Freeview_(UK) ↩

  36. Subscription-free EPG is available in areas where program listings data is freely available without violating copyright laws or data owners' Terms of Service. In North America, Schedules Direct provides legally-licensed EPG data for a nominal fee of $25 per year.[24] /wiki/Schedules_Direct ↩

  37. Support is limited to content broadcast as 'copy freely' (DRM Free) ↩

  38. Supports hardware-based CAMs supported by LinuxTV framework. http://linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/DVB_Conditional_Access_Modules ↩

  39. External third-party plug-in required, e.g. "tvwish", "MythMiner"; not supported. http://www.templetons.com/brad/myth/tvwish.html ↩

  40. Supports any tuner card supported by LinuxTV framework. http://linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Hardware_Device_Information ↩

  41. The official MythTV plugin MythWeb allows users to browse the programme guide, schedule recordings, manage media and playback video via a Flash-based player, which works on Android phones and tablets.[25] /wiki/Adobe_Flash ↩

  42. The official MythTV plugin MythWeb allows users to browse the programme guide, schedule recordings, manage media and playback video via a Flash-based player, which works on Android phones and tablets.[25] /wiki/Adobe_Flash ↩

  43. Support is limited to content broadcast as 'copy freely' (DRM Free) - Smartphone and tablet control of the full range of Windows Media Center features is possible on iOS and Android.[26] ↩

  44. Supported by 3rd party plugins: ComSkip and ShowAnalyzer http://nextpvr.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Utility/ComSkip ↩

  45. Windows Media Center supports two NTSC (Analog) tuners and two ATSC (Digital) tuners out of the box. Using additional tuners requires registry modifications. Windows 7 Media Center supports up to 4 tuners of each type out of the box, DVB-T, DVB-S, NTSC/PAL. ↩

  46. Windows Media Center supports CableCard when used on CableLabs certified OEM Hardware.[27] Windows 7 Media Center supports CableCard on any hardware that passes the Digital Cable Advisor tool in MCE.[28] /wiki/Windows_Media_Center ↩

  47. Requires an external plug-in such as "DVRMSToolbox", "Lifextender" or "MCEBuddy"; not supported by Microsoft. http://babgvant.com/Wiki/view.aspx/DVRMSToolbox ↩

  48. Vista Media Center can do partial intelligent recordings based on keywords, actor(s) name(s), or genre. ↩

  49. DVB-C is achievable using certain cards that are detected as DVB-T tuners. And also using addons such as DVBLink ↩

  50. Possible with third-party software. ↩

  51. Possible with third-party software. ↩

  52. Possible with third-party software. ↩

  53. Windows 7 only ↩

  54. Possible with third-party software. ↩

  55. Windows 7 only ↩

  56. Possible with third-party software. ↩

  57. Windows 7 only ↩

  58. Possible with third-party software. ↩