Quote:
Originally Posted by tempest@de
OtinG Don’t the cable companies offer you the option for recording or scheduling recording for their channels?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cc_in_oh
The recast is OTA-only, could be a good option for some cord-cutters to get local channels to augment streaming services...
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OTA means "over the air" as in TV stations received using a TV antenna. This device from Amazon is more for cable/cord cutters than for people with cable, satellite, streaming, etc. services.
Yes most if not all cable and satellite service providers offer a DVR service, usually at an add-on fee, to record all of their channels you get. Many of the streaming services now offer cloud DVR recording for their channels, sometimes at an addition fee. This OTA DVR is only for recording the local TV stations you can receive off of an antenna. There are still lots of folks on limited budgets, or for whatever other reasons, which don't have cable, satellite, or streaming services, so this kind of device will be for them. Also, there are some people who do have streaming services but still have to receive their local channels using an antenna, so this device will benefit them too.
A device like this OTA DVR might be something people with cable and satellite might want too so they could record local stations without worrying about the maximum total number of recordings their provider allows at any single time. For example, I have a two channel simultaneous record maximum with my service, so if there are three channels I want to record at the same time I cannot do so. I can only record two at once and if I'm recording two at the same time I can only watch those two channels during recording. If something good was on a local antenna channel this device would allow me to record it at the same time if I wanted to. Admittedly in my case it would be rare to need to record more than two channels simultaneously, but occasionally it happens.