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YouTube TV: How to Record Shows, Movies & Sports

John Finn Avatar
YouTube TV recordings

YouTube TV offers one of the best cloud DVR experiences around and recording shows, movies and live sports is easy to do. However, there are some points to be aware of including what happens when it comes to deleting recordings and how long they stay recorded for.

YouTube TV is currently one of the more expensive options for streaming live TV. While there are cheaper options available, YouTube TV has focused heavily on the overall experience and its cloud DVR is a prime example, with each subscription coming with the ability to record as much content as the subscriber wants. Though that’s just the start of YouTube TV’s unlimited cloud DVR.

Not only does each subscriber get access to an unlimited cloud DVR, but every family or household member the account is shared with do as well. As a result, any recordings made by one family or household member won’t show up for any others. It’s not just an unlimited cloud DVR, but a personalized DVR. Making knowing how to record on YouTube TV all the more important.

How to record on YouTube TV

Recording on YouTube TV only requires the subscriber to navigate to the video they want to record and then add it to their library. That’s it.

How to add recordings to library:

  1. Open YouTube TV
  2. Search for show, movie or sports event
  3. Select show, movie or sports event
  4. Tap “+” to record

Once the show, movie or sports event has been added to the library, YouTube TV will automatically record every upcoming episode as well. Depending on what is being recorded, additional options may be available to choose from. For example, if recording NFL or English Premier League, then YouTube TV may ask if the subscriber wants to record just the single event, every game from the league, or every game for one of the two teams involved in the current recording.

Although movies don’t have more than one episode, YouTube TV will rerecord the movie each time it is shown on TV. While this means it is possible for the DVR to make more than one recording of the same movie (especially if shown on different channels), the user will only see one recording in their library. Though they may be presented with more than one recording option to choose from when attempting to play the movie.

Once a show, movie or sports event has been set to record, subscribers can click the same button to remove them once again.

How to remove recordings from library:

  1. Open YouTube TV
  2. Click/Tap on “Library”
  3. Select show, movie or sports event
  4. Tap “+” to remove

It is worth noting that removing shows, movies or sports events from the library doesn’t actually delete them. It just instructs YouTube TV to no longer record any more episodes or versions.

YouTube TV cloud DVR limitations

Although recording on YouTube TV is easy enough, there are some points to be aware of. The first is deleting recordings. While YouTube TV’s cloud DVR will let a subscriber record as much and as often as they want, technically, they cannot delete any.

As the service provides an unlimited cloud DVR, YouTube TV sees very little need for subscribers to delete anything. After all, there’s no limits or caps to affect recording hours or space. However, that’s not to say that everything that’s ever recorded via YouTube TV stays there forever. That’s where the second limitation comes in.

YouTube TV only allows recordings to stay recorded for a maximum of nine months. After this time they are automatically deleted and this is irrespective of whether they have been watched or not. While this might prove to be an issue for those who record a lot and don’t get through them all in time, it is YouTube TV’s solution to offering an unlimited cloud DVR without an option to manually delete recordings.

YouTube TV recording summary

Recording shows, movies and sports is easy to do on YouTube TV and just requires the subscriber to navigate to the video they want to record and click the “Add to library” button. If it is a show or sports event, the subscriber may be presented with the option to record all related episodes or events.

Although YouTube TV offers an unlimited cloud DVR, there is no option to manually delete any recordings. Instead users will need to wait until the recordings expire, at which point they will be automatically deleted by YouTube TV.

Read more: YouTube TV: How Many Devices Can Stream at the Same Time

John Finn

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