DVR capabilities will be part of a future Xbox One Update. At least, that’s according to Microsoft focused website Thurrott.
The site hints at DVR support coming to the Xbox One in a post about Microsoft’s Media Center program. For years, Microsoft allowed entertainment enthusiasts to build machines with TV tuner cards so that they could record their favorite shows and then stream that video directly to other PCs and the Xbox 360. Microsoft confirmed this week that it’ wouldn’t be including Windows Media Center into its Windows 10 operating system, kicking up a fire storm in communities that relied on the software.
“Microsoft’s solution for this need [digital video recording] will apparently be the Xbox One,” Thurrott writer Paul Thurrott says. Thurrott says his sources indicate Microsoft plans to add digital video recording to the Xbox One as soon as this calendar year.
Typically, DVRs like TiVo allow users to record video from broadcast and cable channels so that they can watch at their leisure. Some even let users watch what they record away from home on their smartphone or tablet. Theoretically, Microsoft has most of the pieces in place already for such a feature. Last month it introduced external broadcast tuner support for Xbox Ones in the United States, something that was already widely available in Europe. Xbox SmartGlass already allows users to watch broadcast channels from smartphones and tablets too. SmartGlass also allows users to take control of a separate DVR in their home using a digital universal remote feature.
Microsoft has already made it clear that the Xbox One is its priority in the living room. It discontinued active development of Media Center after Windows 7 and sold its Mediaroom products off in 2013.