How to Record Online TV Shows

For the millennial', the world has transformed as they saw, and the biggest change that is witnessed by us is in terms of technological developments and the entertainment industry. The era has gone when the only entertainment that we had was through cable or dish TV. We are now introduced with a range of OTT platforms that offer millions of hours of content accessible right on our TVs, laptops, and smartphones. The option of live TV recording that we got on the VCR sets has gone, and if you want to record online TV, you will have to find the right solution.

These OTT platforms have made the recording process quite difficult; however, there's nothing that you should worry about. We are here to offer a few options that you can go for in case you want to save your favorite TV series offline. These apps will give you the option to download, but it will be saved in the app itself, and there will be no option to share it with others.

1. Best Way to Record Online TV Shows

There are various methods that you will find, and among them, the best one that you will get is Wondershare DemoCreator. The app is quite rich in features and you will get a plethora of options that will help in getting the exact results that you want.

The dashboard that you will get is highly intuitive, and you will also get an integrated editor that will let you tweak the recorded video to give it a professional look. In this section, we are going to jot down the steps that you will need to follow to record the TV shows and movies.

How to record?

1. As you will launch the app, it will greet you with a compact dashboard with two options, a) New capture, b) Video editor. To start the new recording, you will have to go with the first option.
2. It will offer you another dashboard that will house a plethora of options that you will need to configure before hitting the Record button. You will get to set up the screen area along with the resolution you want to record in.
3. Next to it, there will be options related to enabling the mic, webcam, and system sounds. There will also be a checkbox that you can turn on to enable the pen tool so that you get to annotate while recording.
4. Once all the parameters are set, launch the app from which you want to record and then hit the Record button. DemoCreator will give you a buffer of 3 seconds to start the recording. Users will also get to use the hotkeys to control the recording. To stop/start, the hotkey is F10, and press F9 to pause/resume.

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2. Record TV with OBS

Though the aforementioned application is highly feature-rich and offers a wide range of editing tools to give your best in terms of quality. It's a paid tool, and not everyone will go for it. The creators or the people who are looking to get a free version, we have just the perfect option for you.

Open Broadcast Software is an open-source platform that is loaded with advanced features and you will also get the streaming option. The tool will be the best one in terms of record live TV online free, however, there is one thing that you need to keep in mind. The interface that you will get here is quite complicated, and a beginner will struggle to find their way through it.

How to record?

It would take us to dedicate a full article on the features and options that it has to offer. We are going to jot down the steps that you need to follow to start recording through OBS.

1. Launch the app and as it's a little heavy, it might take a couple of moments to open based on your system specifications. The app will greet you with a dashboard that is loaded with options.
2. You will get the Scenes and Sources tab. Here, users will have to add the window as the source on which the show/live TV is running. You can also add scenes, but as the purpose is to just keep the recording saved, you don't need to do that.
3. The next set of options are related to audio. You can adjust or enable/disable the mic/system sounds. You will also get to use an external mic for better audio in case you want to add commentary.
4. At the right, you will get to tweak multiple settings based on your requirements. The black screen will show you the preview of the recorded screen.
5. Once all the tweaks and parameters are set, it's time to hit the Start Recording button. It will start recording the desktop after 3 seconds. You will also get to stream the content online for your audience.

3. Record TV with CamStudio

If you are searching for an intuitive application to fulfill the recording needs, we have just the right choice for you. We assume that you are here to find the right tool that can provide you with a high-quality recording session. There will be times when you will need to save an episode or a movie to watch offline with your friends and family. CamStudio is a feature-rich tool that will make the whole recording process quite simple and easy. The app is not just a TV online recorder, but it also offers you the features such as adding captions and annotations.

How to record?

Let's go through the guide that will navigate you through the recording process.

1. Once the app is downloaded and installed on your computer, double-click to launch the application and it will greet you with a compact dashboard.
2. If you want to directly jump into the recording process, you will have to click on the File button, and you will find the related options. Right next to File, you will get the Region button. It will allow you to select the area that you want to record. You can also select a particular window.
3. The next Options tab is where you will get a whole bunch of tools to enable/disable so that you get to record as you want. There is a drop-down menu under the Video Options that you need to cross-check. The compressor should be the CamStudio Lossless Codec v1.5. Make sure the quality is set to 100.
4. You should also go to the Cursor Options and make sure that it's set to Hide Cursor so that it doesn't keep appearing while the movie is being recorded.
5. Keep the screen ready that you want to record, and once every parameter is set, you will need to hit the Record button, it will display the configuration of the recording that is going on.
6. Right next to the record button, you will also get the Pause and Stop button.

4. Use FreeCam to Record TV

The users who are searching for a screen recording application that can help them in recording their favorite show or if you are trying to create a guide for your online audience, the FreeCam is one of the best tools to settle for. The content that you are recording should be in high resolution, and the app lets you select the recording area along with the resolution. The interface that you will get here is quite intuitive, and you will find all the features under a simple dashboard.

How to record?

Now, without any further adieu, let's dive into the steps that you will need to follow in using the online video tv recorder efficiently.

1. As you launch the app, it will greet you with a set of controls that will basically let you tweak each and every little detail of the recording session.
2. Click on the New Recording option, it will give you a prompt to confirm whether you want to start a new recording session. Hit Yes. On the bottom-left, it will provide you with a control center that will let you interact with the recording while it's on. There will also be a drop-down menu to select the resolution.
3. There will also be a selection tool that you can drag from the corners to set up according to the requirements. There will also be a gear icon that you can click on to configure a few more settings.
4. It will give you a checkbox to enable the system sounds, and we would recommend turning off the mic input for an uninterrupted movie recording. Along with it, there will also be the option to configure the hotkeys. Once you are done with the recording, press the configured hotkey.
5. It will take you to a new window where you will get an integrated editor to tweak a few things in the recording and give it a more polished look.

5. Use ScreenRec to Record TV Shows

Adding another option to the list of free screen recorders, we are introducing you to ScreenRec. The application is quite feature-rich and if you are going to also add a commentary or a reaction to that particular episode/movie, ScreenRec will give you the option of adding webcam footage and voiceover.

You can use an external microphone and camera for better quality. Though it's a free tool, it will not add any watermark on the final output, and you will also get to record as long as you want.

How to record?

1. Launch the app and the dialog box that you will be greeted by will offer a few very basic settings to configure. It will give you the drop-down options to select the preferred camera/microphone.
2. You will also get to enable/disable the system audio. Along with it, select the quality in which you will prefer to record the content.
3. The dialog box will also let you create a shortcut to start/stop the recording. Next up, you will need to click on the Login button so that you are able to access the recordings from its server.
4. Once logged in, hit the Quit ScreenRec button. Now, launch the app again, and you will get a compact control center on the right of the screen.
5. The camera icon is the button that you will need to use to capture the screenshot. The camcorder button will let you record the screen, and you will have to drag and drop the area to select the recording area. It will start recording within 3 seconds. You can press Stop once the session is completed.

In the list of ‘online TV recorder app android’, Windows or iOS, these are the few apps that you will find quite easy to use. The best one that we will recommend settling on is the Wondershare DemoCreator, which is a paid app. The features that you will get here are completely worth the money that you are paying to buy the license. There is also a free version that you can use but it will add a huge watermark on the file once you export it to the local storage. Among the free apps, FreeCam is the right choice that also packs an integrated editor.