IPTV Apps

IPTV PVR Recording: How to Record Live TV

PVR stands for Personal Video Recorder. In IPTV, this refers to the ability to record a live stream to local storage — usually a USB drive connected to your streaming device. This guide covers how it works and how to set it up.

PVR vs Catch Up

It is important to distinguish between PVR recording and Catch Up TV:

  • Catch Up — content stored on the IPTV server, available for replay without any action required. Works passively for supported channels.
  • PVR recording — you schedule a recording in advance in your IPTV player, and the player records the stream to a USB drive attached to your streaming device.

Catch Up is simpler and requires no setup. PVR is useful for channels that do not support Catch Up, or for keeping recordings long-term (beyond the Catch Up window).

Which players support PVR?

TiviMate Premium (Android TV) is the most widely used IPTV player with PVR support. The free version of TiviMate does not include recording. Other players with recording support vary by platform — check your specific player's feature list.

Setting up PVR recording in TiviMate

  1. Purchase and activate TiviMate Premium in the app
  2. Connect a USB drive to your Android TV device or Firestick via a USB hub or OTG adapter
  3. In TiviMate, go to Settings → General → Recording folder → select the USB drive
  4. To schedule a recording: open the TV Guide, navigate to an upcoming programme, long-press it, and select Record
  5. Active recordings appear in the Recordings section of the main menu

Storage requirements

A 1-hour HD recording consumes approximately 2–4 GB of storage. For regular recording use, a USB drive of 64 GB or 128 GB is practical. Use a USB 3.0 drive connected to a USB 3.0 port for faster write speeds — important for recording high-bitrate streams without frame drops.

Limitations

PVR recording only works while your streaming device is powered on and the IPTV player is active. Unlike a Sky+ or Virgin TiVo box, there is no standalone standby recording. If you want a programme recorded while you are out, you need to leave the device and player running.

For casual use: Catch Up first

For most users, Catch Up TV covers the common use case — missed something last night? Find it in Catch Up within the EPG. PVR is for power users or for channels without Catch Up support. Check your player's Catch Up options before setting up PVR.

Published by IPTV UK Hub · Browse all articles