Xbox One DVR feature works only when an external hard drive is connected to the console

Xbox One DVR over-the-air TV recording functionality will require to buy an external storage to save recording, otherwise it won’t work.

DVR on Xbox One

Microsoft spokesperson confirms that Xbox One DVR over-the-air TV recording will only work when an external hard drive is connected to the console.

On Gamescom 2015 in Germany, Microsoft talked about the upcoming update to bring Windows 10 to Xbox One with a complete redesign user interface. During the event the company also unveiled that over-the-air-TV recording will arrive to the console.

Then during a presentation to show off the upcoming software design for the console, project lead Richard Irving revealed that the Xbox One DVR functionality will not record anything unless there is an external hard drive plugged into the console.

“You need an external hard-drive specifically for DVR because we want to keep the [storage] paths optimized between playing games and watching TV,” he said. “We don’t want them to interact with each other.”

The external hard drive adds another require accessory to the console to experience TV, as a digital TV tuner, already available in Europe and North America, is also required to watch over-the-air TV.

Timing aligns with recent announcement of Seagate unveiling the Game Drive for Xbox which adds an extra 2 terabyte of storage to the game console for $109.99.

Microsoft plans to roll out the new Xbox One Dashboard experience in September for preview members with a public release in November. The new software will update the Windows 8 core on the console to the new Windows 10 core. The new design ditches the tile layout in favor of a more easy to use interface that looks very similar to the Xbox app for Windows 10.

The update will also include an option to schedule TV recordings, which can be done locally or remotely using an Xbox Live account on the SmartGlass or Xbox apps for Windows 10.

According to the company “Xbox One free-to-Air DVR will record TV at the same quality level of the broadcast, including shows that are broadcast at 1080p.”

As an extra feature, users will have the option to transfer TV shows to Windows 10 devices for offline watching and they will also have the option to stream shows on a local network. However, there is no word if the same functionality will be available for iOS or Android.

Source GameSpot

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.