Comparison of DVR software packages

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

General information[edit]

Basic general information for popular DVR software packages.

Name	Windows	MacOSX	Linux	BSD	Android	Prices	License	Latest stable release	Notes
Beyond TV	Yes	No	No	No	No	Terminated (See notes)	Proprietary	4.9.3 Build 6535 (October 15, 2010) (final version)	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. See also: List of digital television deployments by country
DVB Dream	Yes	No	No	No	No	$49	Proprietary	2.8.1 (January 18, 2016)	Focused on DVB and live TV
DVBViewer	Yes	No	No	No	No	€20	Proprietary	5.6.1 (March 15, 2016)
Emby (formerly Media Browser)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (Client Only)	Mixed^[1]	GPL & Proprietary^[2]	3.0.8100 (October 13, 2016)	Compatible with SiliconDust HD Homerun Tuners.^[1]
EyeTV	No	Yes	No	No	No	Bundled	Proprietary	3.6.1	Bundled for no extra charge with all Elgato USB tuners, but also sold separately for use with other tuners.
Hauppauge WinTV	Yes	No	No	No	No	Bundled	Proprietary	WinTV8, CD4.1 (current Mar 16)	Bundled for no extra charge, only works with Hauppauge TV cards and peripherals.
InterVideo WinDVR	Yes	No	No	No	No	Discontinued	Proprietary	(final version)	Discontinued. Used to be bundled for no extra charge with various TV tuner devices.
JRiver Media Center	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	$49.98 (one license covers all owned HTPCs	Proprietary	21 October 2015 (October 2015)^[2]	DirectShow 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)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Free and open-source software	GPL	17.0 "Krypton" (February 1, 2017)^[3]	Cross-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.
MediaPhoenix/ShowShifter	Yes	No	No	No	No	MediaPhoenix – Unreleased ShowShifter – Discontinued (was £30)	Proprietary	3.1 (final version)	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.
MediaPortal	Yes	No	No	No	No	Free and open-source software	GPL	MP1 1.15.0 (28 June 2016)^[4] MP2 Spring '16 (6 April 2016)^[4]	built on the .NET 2.0 Framework
MythTV	Limited^[3]	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Free and open-source software	GPL	0.28 (April 11, 2016)
NextPVR	Yes	No	No	No	No	Freeware	Proprietary	3.8.3 (2016-09-25^[5])
SageTV	Yes^[4]	Yes	Yes	No	Yes (Client Only)	Free and open-source software formerly sold for $79.95 server and $29.95 per client.	GPL (Formerly Proprietary)	7.1 (final retail version) 9.0 (free version)	Java based. SageTV was purchased by Google on June 20, 2011 and its online store was shut. On 10 August 2015, it was announced by Narflex that SageTV officially became Open Source.^[6]
Tvtime	No	No	Yes	No	No	Free and open-source software	GPL	1.0.2 (November 10, 2005)	High 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 Recorder (VDR)	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Free and open-source software	GPL	2.2.0 (February 19, 2015)	TV 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 Center	Yes	No	No	No	No	US $69.99: Pro Pack for Windows 8 and 8.1 US $9.99: Media Center Pack add-on for Windows 8 Pro and 8.1 Pro	Proprietary	6.3.9600.16384 (2013) (final version)	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.^[7] Available for Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 unofficially through a windows command script installer.^[8] Not available for Windows RT.
VBox Home TV Gateway VBox@TV	Yes	Yes^[5]	Yes	No	No	Bundled	Proprietary	2.46 (November 11, 2014)	Bundled 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

^ 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. Premiere license costs $4.99/month, $49.99/year, or $99.99 for lifetime.^[9] Some client applications, like Emby on the Windows Store cost $4.99.^[10]
^ Porting MythTV to Windows is under development.[6]
^ There is also a Windows Home Server Edition
^ Manage and schedule recordings

Features[edit]

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

DVR	Subscription free electronic program guide (EPG)	Power management	Multiple TV tuner cards support	CableCARD support	CAM support	ATSC tuner support	Automated commercial skipping	Teletext	Schedule timed recordings	Personalized intelligent recording and scheduling^{[f 1]}	DRM support	DVB (T/T2, S/S2, C) tuner support	Smartphone/tablet playback	Smartphone/tablet syncing	Smartphone/tablet remote control
Beyond TV	Yes	Yes^{[f 2]}	Yes	No	?	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	?	?	?
EyeTV	DVB;^{[f 3]} other guide info varies by region^{[f 4]}	Yes	Yes	No	?	Yes	External add-on	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?
WinTV	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited^{[f 5]}	?	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	?	?
Kodi (formerly XBMC)	Yes	Yes	External add-on	External add-on	External add-on	External add-on	Yes	External add-on	External add-on	External add-on	External add-on	External add-on	Using Plugin	Using Plugin	Using Apps
NextPVR	Yes^{[f 6]}	Yes	Yes	Partial^{[f 7]}	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Yes	Yes	?	?
MediaPortal	DVB^{[f 3]}/XMLTV^{[f 9]}	Yes	Yes	Partial^{[f 10]}	Supported on some specific cards	Yes	Using Plugin	Yes	Yes	Yes	Partial support	Yes	Yes^{[f 11]}	?	Yes^{[f 11]}
MediaPhoenix/ShowShifter	DVB^{[f 3]}	Unknown	Yes	No	?	Unknown	No	No	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Yes	No	No	No
MythTV	DVB;^{[f 3]} other services region dependent^{[f 12]}	Yes	Yes	Limited^{[f 13]}	Yes^{[f 14]}	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Requires external add-on^{[f 15]}	No	Yes^{[f 16]}	Yes^{[f 17]}	No	Yes^{[f 17]}
SageTV	Yes (with former purchased license)	Yes	Yes	Partial Using Plugin^{[f 18]}	?	Yes	Using Plugin^{[f 19]}	No	Yes	Yes	No	?	?	?	?
Video Disk Recorder	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Using Plugin	Yes	Using Plugin	No	Yes	Using Plugin	No	Using Plugin
Windows Media Center	Yes	Yes	Yes^{[f 20]}	Yes^{[f 21]}	?	Yes	External add-on^{[f 22]}	Yes	Yes	Yes^{[f 23]}	Yes; also respects "do not record" flag	Supports DVB-T/T2 and DVB-S/S2; does not support DVB-C^{[f 24]}	Yes	Yes	Yes
VBox@TV	DVB Guide info varies by broadcaster and TV service provider	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

^ A system similar to TiVo's which enables the DVR/PVR application to record programs based on past viewing habits and interests.
^ To take advantage of operating system power management with Beyond TV, the main user interface must be closed.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d 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]}
^ 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.^[11]^[12]
^ Support is limited to content broadcast as 'copy freely' (DRM Free)
^ Natively supports broadcast EPG. Able to use alternative EPG, like XMLTV and Schedules Direct in countries that don't provide a decent broadcast EPG.
^ Support is limited to content broadcast as 'copy freely' (DRM Free)
^ Unlike the UK DVB-T EPG, the Freesat EPG uses its own channel and thus must be specifically set up in order to be used. Consequently support for DVB EPG may be insufficient to access it.
^ 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.
^ Version 1.5.0 or higher required - only 'Copy Freely' support - No Encrypted 'Copy Once' support^[13]
^ ^a ^b via aMPdroid app; requires WifiRemote and MpExtended plugins^[14]
^ 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.^[15]
^ Support is limited to content broadcast as 'copy freely' (DRM Free)
^ Supports hardware-based CAMs supported by LinuxTV framework.
^ External third-party plug-in required, e.g. "tvwish", "MythMiner"; not supported.
^ Supports any tuner card supported by LinuxTV framework.
^ ^a ^b 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.^[16]
^ 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.^[17]
^ Supported by 3rd party plugins: ComSkip and ShowAnalyzer
^ 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.
^ Windows Media Center supports CableCard when used on CableLabs certified OEM Hardware.^[18] Windows 7 Media Center supports CableCard on any hardware that passes the Digital Cable Advisor tool in MCE.^[19]
^ Requires an external plug-in such as "DVRMSToolbox", "Lifextender" or "MCEBuddy"; not supported by Microsoft.
^ Vista Media Center can do partial intelligent recordings based on keywords, actor(s) name(s), or genre.
^ DVB-C is achievable using certain cards that are detected as DVB-T tuners. And also using addons such as DVBLink

Video format support[edit]

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

DVR	MPEG-1	MPEG-2	MPEG-4 ASP (MPEG-4 Part 2), i.e. DivX, XviD	H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (MPEG-4 Part 10)	HEVC (H.265)	VP8	VP9	WMV	AVI	ASF	QuickTime	MP4	RealVideo	MKV
Beyond TV	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Yes	Unknown	No	No	No	Unknown
EyeTV	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
WinTV	Unknown	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Unknown
GB-PVR	Unknown	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Unknown
Kodi (formerly XBMC)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
MediaPortal	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Yes	Yes	No^{[v 1]}	Yes	No^{[v 1]}	Yes
MediaPhoenix/ShowShifter	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
MythTV	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown
SageTV	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Yes
Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	No	Unknown	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown
Windows Media Center	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes^{[v 1]}^{[v 2]}	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes^{[v 1]}^{[v 2]}	Yes^{[v 1]}^{[v 2]}	No^{[v 1]}	Unknown
VBox@TV	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Possible with third-party software.
^ ^a ^b ^c Windows 7 only

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

Network support[edit]

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.

DVR	Tuner Sharing	Hard Disk Pooling	Shared Media Database	Home Automation	Media Extenders	Placeshifting/Spaceshifting	Two-way Remote Control	Second Screen
Beyond TV	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Unknown
EyeTV	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Unknown
GB-PVR	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Kodi (formerly XBMC)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes⁴	Yes	Unknown	Yes³	Unknown
MediaPortal	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes⁴	Unknown
MediaPhoenix/ShowShifter	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
MythTV	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes³	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown
SageTV	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Yes	Unknown	Unknown
Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Unknown
Windows Media Center	Yes⁶	Yes⁷	Yes	Yes²	Yes	Yes⁵	Yes²	Unknown
VBox@TV	Yes	Unknown	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Yes	Unknown

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[edit]

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

Notes[edit]

^ "Introducing the new Live TV for Emby (and a new Emby Server beta) - Emby". emby.media. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
^ http://www.jriver.com/index.html
^ "Kodi 17.0 - Krypton".
^ ^a ^b "MEDIAPORTAL - Download MediaPortal for free!". Team MediaPortal. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
^ http://www.nextpvr.com
^ "SageTV is Open Source!!! - SageTV Community". forums.sagetv.com. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
^ "Windows 8 and 8.1 Pro Pack and Media Pack are no longer available to buy". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
^ Allan, Patrick. "Get Windows Media Center Running on Windows 10 in a Few Easy Steps". Retrieved 2016-09-09.
^ "Emby Premiere - Emby". Retrieved 14 October 2016.
^ "Emby Windows App". Retrieved 14 October 2016.
^ "Why is there a fee for the EyeTV Program Guide?".
^ "How do I use TV Guide with EyeTV?".
^ "Support for CableCard Tuners".
^ "aMPdroid - Android Apps on Google Play". Retrieved September 27, 2012.
^ "Schedules Direct". mythtv.org.
^ "MythDroid". code.google.com.
^ "LimitlessLED: 2.4Ghz Wireless Remote Light Bulbs for iPhone and Android".
^ "CableCARD certification rules out home-built Windows MCE boxes, possibly other DIY solutions".
^ "The Cable Chronicles: Win7 Digital Cable Advisor Released".

External links[edit]

FLOSS Media Centers Comparison Chart

v t e Home theater PC software, devices, and related articles

Windows	Beyond TV DVBViewer NextPVR (formerly GB-PVR) JRiver Media Center MediaPortal ShowShifter Windows Media Center

macOS	Front Row

Linux	GeeXboX LibreELEC LinuxMCE MythTV Mythbuntu OpenELEC Video Disk Recorder

Cross-platform	Emby Kodi (formerly XBMC) Plex SageTV Serviio

Set-top boxes, digital media receivers	Amazon Fire TV Android TV Apple TV Boxee Box Chromecast Dreambox Ericsson Mediaroom Google TV Hauppauge MediaMVP HP MediaSmart Connect Netgear Digital Entertainer ReplayTV Roku TiVo WD TV Windows Media Center Extender

Related hardware	ATI Theater Cards Elgato EyeTV devices Hauppauge Computer Works WinTV PVR Cards HDHomeRun Mac Mini Quiet PC Touchscreen remote control VBox Home TV Gateway

Related articles	10-foot user interface Comparison of audio player software Comparison of video player software Digital Living Network Alliance Digital media receiver Home cinema Home theater PC Hybrid IPTV Internet television Media server Set-top box Smart TV Video player

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