Comparison of DVR software packages
This is a comparison of digital video recorder (DVR) software packages.
General information
Basic general information for popular DVR/PVR software packages.
| Name | Windows | MacOSX | Linux | BSD | Android | Prices | License | Latest stable release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argus TV | Yes | No | No | No | No | Free and open-source software | 2.3
(December 27, 2014) |
Argus TV Website
Argus TV HD for Android Tablets and Phones allows you schedule recordings on your home network.[1] Argus TV Server is required. | |
| Beyond TV | Yes | No | No | No | No | Terminated (See notes) |
Proprietary | 4.9.3 Build 6335 (October 15, 2010)
|
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. |
| DVB Dream | Yes | No | No | No | No | $49 | Proprietary | 2.8.1 (January 18, 2016) |
Focused on DVB and live TV |
| DVBLink | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | €49 | Proprietary | 6.0.0 (June 1, 2016) |
DVBLink products turn NAS, PC, Mac, desktop Linux or Raspberry Pi devices into a Personal Video Recorder (PVR). Live and recorded TV can be streamed to Kodi, Windows MediaCenter, DLNA clients, mobile clients for iOS and Android platforms, AppleTV, AndroidTV devices and to web browser interface within home network and on the go. |
| DVBLink Player | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Free | Proprietary | 6.0.0 (June 1, 2016) |
Free PVR software for Windows, Mac or desktop Linux PC. |
| 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) |
3.0.8100 (October 13, 2016) |
Compatible with SiliconDust HD Homerun Tuners.[2] | ||
| 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. |
| HDHomeRun DVR | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | ? | $60 | Proprietary | In Beta |
Used with HDHomeRun Tuners |
| 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)[3] |
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 | 16.0 "Jarvis"
(February 20, 2016)[4] |
High quality 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
|
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. |
| SichboPVR | Yes | No | No | No | No | Freeware | 3.0.0.149 7 September 2015 |
TV Software for DVB-T, ATSC and DVB-S tuners. | |
| MediaPortal | Yes | No | No | No | No | Free and open-source software | GPL | MP1 1.15.0
(28 June 2016)[5] MP2 Spring '16 |
built on the .NET 2.0 Framework |
| MythTV | Limited | 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[6]) |
|
| SageTV | Yes | 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 |
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.[7] |
| 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 |
|
Proprietary | 6.3.9600.16384 (2013)
|
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.[8] Available for Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 unofficially through a windows command script installer.[9] Not available for Windows RT. |
| VBox Home TV Gateway VBox@TV | Yes | Yes | 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.[10] Some client applications, like Emby on the Windows Store cost $4.99.[11]
^ Porting MythTV to Windows is under development.
^ There is also a Windows Home Server Edition
^ Manage and schedule recordings
Digital/personal video recorder (DVR/PVR) features
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 | ? | ? | ? |
| JRiver Media Center 21 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial[f 3] | Yes | Yes | Yes with third-party plugin | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CenterStage | No | Unknown | No | No | ? | Unknown | No | Unknown | No | Unknown | No | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| DVBLink | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| EyeTV | DVB;[f 4] other guide info varies by region[f 5] | Yes | Yes | No | ? | Yes | External add-on | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | ? |
| WinTV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited[f 6] | ? | 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 7] | Yes | Yes | Partial[f 8] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
| MediaPortal | DVB[f 4]/XMLTV[f 10] | Yes | Yes | Partial[f 11] | Supported on some specific cards | Yes | Using Plugin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial support | Yes | Yes[f 12] | ? | Yes[f 12] |
| MediaPhoenix/ShowShifter | DVB[f 4] | Unknown | Yes | No | ? | Unknown | No | No | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | No | No | No |
| MythTV | DVB;[f 4] other services region dependent[f 13] | Yes | Yes | Limited[f 14] | Yes[f 15] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Requires external add-on[f 16] | No | Yes[f 17] | Yes[f 18] | No | Yes[f 18] |
| SageTV | Yes (with former purchased license) | Yes | Yes | Partial Using Plugin[f 19] | ? | Yes | Using Plugin[f 20] | 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 21] | Yes[f 22] | ? | Yes | External add-on[f 23] | Yes | Yes | Yes[f 24] | Yes; also respects "do not record" flag | Supports DVB-T/T2 and DVB-S/S2; does not support DVB-C[f 25] | 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.
- ↑ Support is limited to content broadcast as 'copy freely' (DRM Free)
- 1 2 3 4 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 9]
- ↑ 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.[12][13]
- ↑ 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[14]
- 1 2 via aMPdroid app; requires WifiRemote and MpExtended plugins[15]
- ↑ 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.[16]
- ↑ 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.
- 1 2 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.[17]
- ↑ 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.[18]
- ↑ 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.[19] Windows 7 Media Center supports CableCard on any hardware that passes the Digital Cable Advisor tool in MCE.[20]
- ↑ 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
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 |
Information about what video codecs are implemented natively (without third-party add-ons) in the PVRs.
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.
| 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
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
- List of free television software
- Comparison of video player software
- Home cinema
- HTPC (Home theater PC)
- Digital video recorder
- Hard disk recorder
- DVD recorder
- Silent PC
- Media server
Notes
- ↑ "Argus TV HD - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- ↑ "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 16.0 – Jarvis – Mark XVI".
- 1 2 "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
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/16/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.