Xbox One users can now record over-the-air TV from broadcast networks like ABC, CBS and NBC without subscribing to cable, thanks to a new app from connected DVR maker Tablo. This comes after Microsoft put the brakes on its own plans to launch DVR functionality for the Xbox One in June.
The new Tablo app, which is available for free through the Xbox App Store, allows users to watch live television as well as schedule recordings and watch recorded shows.
However, shows aren’t recorded locally on the Xbox One. The app instead requires users to buy a Tablo networked DVR device, which stores recordings on an external hard drive an then streams them to mobile and TV-connected devices. Tablo’s DVR hardware is available for $180 and up, depending on the configuration of the device.
Tablo’s DVR has become popular with the cord cutting crowd, thanks to numerous apps for devices like mobile phones and tablets as well as TV-connected devices like Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV and more.
Microsoft originally announced a little over a year ago that it would add DVR functionality to the Xbox One, complete with the ability to stream recordings to mobile devices. However, a year later, the company did a complete 360, and said that the feature was on hold. Instead, Microsoft told reporters in June that it was going to focus on “launching new, higher fan-requested gaming experiences across Xbox One and Windows 10.”
