Top 5 DVRs of 2023

Recording movies and shows, skipping commercials, and pausing/rewinding/fast-forwarding live TV are a couch creature’s irrevocable rights. You should express them with the best DVR.

In the cable and satellite TV world, the best overall DVR is the Hopper 3 from DISH. The DIRECTV Genie is great for sports fans, and the Cox Contour Record 24 stores a cool 1,000 HD hours.

Don’t want your TV provider’s DVR? You can buy the TiVo EDGE for Cable—but you’ll have a monthly fee for TiVo service.

Finally, if you’re a cord-cutter, the Tablo Quad HDMI OTA DVR, paired with an HDTV antenna, is your best bet. Read on to learn more about these and other DVR boxes.

Jump to:

• Head-to-head comparison
• What to look for

Best DVRs

• DISH Hopper 3 DVR—Best overall
• TiVo EDGE for Cable—Best third-party DVR
• Cox Contour Record 24 DVR—Most storage
• DIRECTV Genie HD DVR—Best DVR for sports
• Tablo Quad OTA DVR—Best OTA DVR

Compare top DVRs

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Okay, pause whatever you’re watching so we can go over our best DVRs for 2023.

If you don’t mind paying a little extra for high storage capacity and lots of simultaneous recordings, the DISH Hopper 3 (500 hours, 16 recordings) is well worth its $10-a-month rental fee.

Or, if you want the most storage and simultaneous recordings, and you live in Cox’s service area, the Contour Record 24 gives you 1,000 hours and 24 tuners for $30 a month.

But most people will be happy with the DIRECTV Genie‘s 200 hours (or the wireless Genie 2’s 450 hours) and five simultaneous recordings. Just know that DIRECT no longer includes the Genie with your plan; you’ll have to pay a monthly $15 Advanced Receiver Service Fee. But the good news is DIRECTV now has a two-year price guarantee, so your payment won’t go up in the second year.

The TiVo EDGE for Cable (300 hours, six recordings) has a high purchase price, plus monthly service ($14.99 a month) and CableCARD fees ($2–$5 monthly, depending on your cable provider). What’s the upside? You’ll own your DVR outright, and that extra flexibility is great if you move often, because the TiVo EDGE works with most other TV services.

If you’re a cord-cutter, and you’re interested in over-the-air (OTA) TV, the Tablo Quad HDMI OTA DVR is for you—but it has no built-in storage; you’ll have to buy a separate external drive (up to 8TB). That could get expensive, but it might be worth it if you record a lot of movies and shows. Note, though, that OTA DVRs record only the channels you can get with your antenna.

DISH Hopper 3—Best overall

If you’re a TV fanatic, the DISH Hopper 3 is the most satisfying thing since the Breaking Bad series finale. DISH’s device stores an impressive 500 hours of HD storage, and allows you to record up to 16 programs at once.

The Hopper 3 also has Alexa integration for hands-free control of your Hopper 3 and any Joey extenders you might have for your other TVs. Other modern must-have features include commercial auto-skip, integrated streaming apps (Netflix, YouTube, and more), and a voice remote.

You know what else? You don’t have to be home to enjoy your DISH programming. The DISH Anywhere app lets you download your Hopper 3 recordings to your mobile device for offline watching on the go.

If there’s something we don’t like about the Hopper 3, it’s the $10 monthly service fee. But these are growing more common with cable and satellite TV providers, so it’s not that bad. But maybe ask your wallet what it thinks about the fee.

Obviously, we’re sold on the Hopper 3 (hence, it’s our pick for best overall). But if you need more deets before you fall in love with the DISH DVR, we’ve got a full review dedicated to it.

TiVo EDGE for Cable—Best third-party DVR

With the TiVo EDGE, you can record six shows at once and save up to 300 hours of HD TV—and keep your recordings until you delete them.

That’s not all. The TiVo EDGE allows you to watch programs faster with QuickMode, skip commercials with a single tap, and control it hands-free with the included voice remote.

Guess what? There’s more: The EDGE even allows you to download, manage, and stream DVR recordings with TiVo Online or the TiVo app.

One drawback is that you’re paying a lot upfront to buy the EDGE. Also, TiVo charges a monthly service fee of $14.99, and you’ll need to rent a CableCARD (for decrypting signals) from your provider for $2.00–$4.00 a month.

The two fees combined are equal to or higher than you’ll pay for DVR service through your provider—but the freedom and functionality make the EDGE a better value in the long run.

And you can save money with an annual TiVo subscription for $149.99—a 20% discount. Or, if you’re a gambler, you can drop $549.99 on TiVo’s All-In subscription, which spans the life of the device and is transferable if you decide to sell your EDGE.

We recommend the annual sub. It’s a guaranteed 20% discount, whereas the lifetime sub won’t even start to show its value until your TiVo EDGE lasts 3 1/2 years.

Finally, remember that EDGE works only with cable TV. You won’t be able to use it with fiber or satellite TV providers. And, although the EDGE also has streaming app integration (Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, Peacock, YouTube, and more), it will not record that content. And you’ll need separate subscriptions to use the apps.

Cox Contour Record 24 DVR—Most storage

Are you a glutton for TV? Us, too! How does 1,000 hours of HD storage and 24 simultaneous recordings sound? That’s whatcha get with the Contour Record 24 from Cox.

What’s the catch? It’s gonna set you back $30 a month. That’s pretty expensive for DVR service, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And maybe your heart likes to pig out on TV. So if you can afford the Contour Record 24, go for it.

Except there’s one more catch: you can keep your Contour DVR recordings for only one year. To us, that makes the $30 monthly DVR fee much too high. For that price, you should be able to keep recordings indefinitely.

But if Cox is the only provider in your area (or the only one left you have tried and found wanting), we recommend going with the Contour Record 6 instead. It has 250 hours of storage and 6 tuners, and it’s $20 per month. (That’s still high, but we are talking about Cox being your only option).

DIRECTV Genie—Best DVR for sports

DIRECTV’s packages once included the Genie at no extra charge, but the provider introduced a $15 monthly Advanced Receiver Service Fee in January. So, while DIRECTV still claims to include the Genie in your plan, it doesn’t.

The Genie can record only five shows simultaneously (the lowest number of any DVR on our list), but it has a respectable amount of storage: 200 hours for the Genie, and 450 hours for the wireless Genie 2.

DIRECTV is our best TV provider for sports because of its many sports channels and sports add-on packages like FOX Soccer Plus, MLB Extra Innings, NBA League Pass, and NHL Center Ice. But the Genie DVRs have features sports fans will enjoy, like the ability to program your DVR with a “mix channel” that lets you watch up to eight live games at once.

For the 4K HD lovers, DIRECTV offers additional Genie Wireless Minis that can deliver 4K HD movies and shows on up to four TVs without cord clutter. Naturally, these pair well with the wireless Genie 2.

So stop dealing with dated DVRs to save money. The Genie will grant your wish for dynamic TV at no extra cost.

For more on the Genie DVR, check out our full review.

Tablo Quad HDMI—Best OTA DVR

What to look for in a DVR

DVRs with lots of bells and whistles are neat, but the core of any DVR is that it can record multiple shows and keep those stored long enough for you to enjoy them.

And except for TiVo, most DVRs work with only one TV provider. Make sure the DVR you want comes from a provider that services your area.

Simultaneous recordings

Human beings might not be good at multitasking, but DVRs are. Depending on how many tuners a DVR has, it can record several shows at once and even let you watch something at the same time.

Most DVRs include at least four tuners, which means you can record up to four shows simultaneously. Some old DVRs might have fewer, though, so check that feature if you’re not going with one of our top five DVRs.

Storage

Want to hang on to your favorite shows longer? Going for more storage space can help with that.

With enough storage, you can keep hundreds of HD episodes on your DVR for a rainy day. With too little storage, you’ll have to either part with those shows sooner or settle for lower-quality SD recordings.

To avoid either of those nightmarish outcomes, aim for a DVR that has at least 1 TB of storage. That will hold about 150 hours of crisp HD video and save you from having to delete old recordings very often.

And if your TV appetite demands that you have all the shows, the Tablo Quad HDMI OTA DVR uses only external storage—up to 8 TB hard drives, or 4,000 hours of HD content.

Area availability

Most providers offer their own DVRs. If you want a DVR we recommend, check to see that its provider is in your area. The reliable features of the Contour Record 24 won’t help you much if you don’t live in a Cox service area.

Want to see which providers from our top five DVRs are in your area? Enter your zip code below, and we’ll let you know.

Final take: start recording

So there ya go: five DVRs you can be proud to add to your entertainment center. Obviously, despite its $10 monthly fee, we prefer the DISH Hopper 3’s high storage, 16 tuners, and assorted bells and whistles.

We also dig the features and functionality of the DIRECTV Genie, TiVo EDGE for Cable, and Tablo Quad HDMI OTA DVR, Same goes for Cox’s awesomely overpowered (and overpriced) Contour Record 24.

Good luck in your search for a DVR box that rocks.

Best DVR FAQ

Our methodology

The TV experts at CableTV.com have logged hundreds of hours researching and testing DVRs, comparing them based on price, features, storage, and user experience. We then bring our findings, along with recommendations, to our readers so they can make informed decisions as consumers. We also update the list regularly to account for changes in price and product availability. For more on our process, see our How We Rank page.