Easy Steps to Record Cable TV in 2024

If you already have some other plans, but you don’t want to miss your favorite program that is scheduled to broadcast at the time of your engagement, either. You may want to record cable TV. Luckily, the process to record cable TV shows currently is not as complex as it used to be earlier.

Here you will learn about the best method to record cable TV to a computer in the most efficient manner. Apart from this, you will also learn about a couple of other alternatives to get the job done in case you don’t want to use your PC.

• Part 1. Record Cable TV Easily with Wondershare UniConverter
• Part 2. Other Ways to Record Cable TV to a Computer

Part 1: Record Cable TV Easily with Wondershare UniConverter

Recording a TV show or movie on your computer is probably the easiest, cheapest, and yet the best method. All you need is a good TV tuner card and a robust software application that can interact with the hardware. Although the TV tuners already ship with a compatible driver, when installed, many times there are also a screen capturing application. You may need a third-party app like Wondershare UniConverter (originally Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate) if you want to use some advanced features for complex tasks.

When talking about Wondershare UniConverter, the program is available for both Windows and Mac PCs and has several features like screen recorder, video editor, video compressor, and disc burner. Not only this, with UniConverter, but you can also even apply various effects to the recorded videos, add subtitles to them, insert a watermark, and much more.

Wondershare UniConverter for Mac/Windows (Catalina Included)

• Screen recording for all desktop activities with voice
• Support over 1000 video output formats with zero quality loss.
• 90X faster conversion speed than any conventional converters.
• Edit video files with trimming, cropping, cutting, merging, adding subtitles, etc.
• Convert videos to any format in batch with less quality loss.
• Allow saving 4K/HD videos from 10,000 video streaming sites.
• All-in-one toolbox: Video Compressor, GIF Maker, Fix Video Metadata, Screen Recorder, and more.

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To learn how to record cable TV shows with Wondershare UniConverter, you had better follow the steps given below:

Note: Before going any further, make sure that the TV tuner card is installed and connected to your computer. The most updated version of its driver is installed. Besides, you should ensure the channel you want to record is successfully scanned and saved, which is currently set to show the programs.

Step 1 Open Wondershare Screen Recorder

Launch Wondershare UniConverter on your computer (Windows or Mac), click the Screen Recorder from the available icons on the interface to open the Wondershare Screen Recorder panel.

Note: If this is the first time you are here, the panel might not be expanded, and you will see only the limited options to work with. If this is the case, you can proceed to the next step.

Step 2 Expand Screen Recorder Panel

Click the Settings icon from the bottom-right corner of the panel to reveal other settings.

Note: If the Wondershare Screen Recorder panel is already expanded, you will see an up arrow instead of the Settings icon.

Step 3 Set Up Video/Audio Recording Preferences

Click the arrow in the Capture Area section from the top-left of the panel and select Full Screen. Next, use the System Audio drop-down list to select a source Wondershare Screen Recorder should receive the audio from, and also ensure that the Microphone is set to Disabled mode to avoid capturing any external sound. Turn on the Webcam icon and then open the drop-down menu below it to select a camera. You can set the output resolution on the pop-up webcam window as 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 640 x 400, and more.

Step 4 Set Up General and Timer Preferences

Choose your preferred destination folder, framerate, and picture quality from the Save to, Frame rate, and Quality drop-down lists in the General section respectively. Optionally, check the appropriate box(s) under the Record Timer section to schedule and/or set the duration of the recording. Finally, click the REC button from the top-right area of the panel to begin recording the cable TV. To stop the recording, press Ctrl + F6 on your keyboard.

Tips

You can turn on the webcam window for picture-in-picture recording. Just move to How to record yourself and your desktop screen at the same time >> to learn more.

Part 2: Other Ways to Record Cable TV to a Computer

As mentioned earlier, the method explained in Part 1 is the easiest, cheapest, and the best to work with. However, if you are not willing to go for it, you can try the following alternatives to record cable TV to a computer. However, it is still worth mentioning that some of the methods discussed below might require you to buy additional hardware devices along with the TV tuner card itself.

Method 1: HD PVR Method

For this method you need:

● HD PVR Device

● Cable TV Set-Top Box

● Desktop or Laptop with USB

Once you have all the required hardware, you can connect your HD PVR to the set-top box that is responsible for transmitting the broadcasted signals to the TV, connect the computer to the HD PVR device with the USB cable, and launch the software that came along with the device on your PC. Next, use the available setting options to set up the recording preferences like video format, framerate, bits or seconds, etc. to ensure you get the optimum quality. Once everything is set up, you can go ahead and begin recording live TV on your computer.

Pros

● Minimal manual configuration is needed as most tasks are performed by the hardware peripherals.

Cons

● Needs multiple devices to be connected, and all the mesh of the cables might look messy and confusing, especially for the new users

Method 2: Default Software Method

For this method you need:

● Laptop or Desktop Computer

● TV Tuner Card

● Driver Disc with Default Recording Application

As discussed before, when you buy a TV tuner card, during the driver installation process, it also installs additional software that has the capability to record cable TV shows without looking for, obtaining, and installing any third-party application. Although this approach may not offer many tools for advanced tasks, the entire process remains way cheaper than the other two.

Pros

● The entire setup is cheap as you only have to buy a TV tuner card, and all the required parts like driver, recorder, cables, etc. are provided along with it.

Cons

● This approach doesn’t give you much control over the recording preferences and the files you record

● You may need a third-party program to make changes to the captured videos like editing, adding subtitles, applying effects, compressing the files, etc.

Conclusion

The process to record cable TV is simple as long as you have access to a TV tuner card, a stable cable connection, and a laptop or desktop computer to connect everything to. However, if you are looking for some advanced features to make further alterations to the recorded videos, a third-party program like Wondershare UniConverter could be a boon because of the configuration tools and the level of efficiency it offers.