You’ve always recorded your favorite TV broadcasts on VHS, with the good old VCR. However, as technology has advanced, videotapes have fallen into disuse and recording television programs has become less and less necessary, thanks to the spread of on-demand streaming platforms.
However, there are programs that are not easily found on-demand and, therefore, you would like to know if there is any “modern” method to register them. Initially you thought about buying a DVD player with recording functions but then, checking the specifications carefully, you discovered that your Samsung Smart TV also offers a TV program recording function. However, you don’t quite understand how to use it.
If this is the case, know that I’m here to help you. In the course of this guide, in fact, I will take care to explain to you in detail how to record programs on Samsung Smart TV using the function integrated in your TV or, if not present or not suitable for your purposes, with a series of third-party tools set off. I assure you it is not difficult. Happy reading and… happy watching!
Initial information
Before tackling the main topic of this guide, that is, recording programs on Samsung Smart TVs, it is my duty to give you some clarification on the matter.
The recording of television channels is still today a matter that is not fully regulated: although the use of recorded contents represents a legal practice, they should not be re-transmitted to a wider audience, as this could represent a violation of copyright against the original creators of the contents, or the companies that hold the copyright of the recorded programs.
In other words, if you need to record an episode of your favorite show, you have permission to watch it as many times as you want, but you cannot use the file to reproduce it in a commercial activity or, in general, for profit.
Furthermore, you must know that, in order for producers to integrate the recording functionality of programs and contents from digital and satellite channels – known in jargon as PVR or personal video recording – they are required to pay a specific tax to SIAE, precisely for copyright protection.
For this reason, some hardware manufacturers, including Samsung itself , have decided to eliminate this possibility from their devices: in other words, this means that Samsung televisions intended for the Italian market and produced starting from 2018 do not allow the registration of TV shows . PVR features, however, are available on older models and imported/dedicated TVs for other markets. In the latter case, however, it is possible to follow alternative paths, such as the use of specific decoders enabled for program recording.
The theme of this guide of mine will be, precisely, explaining how to record programs on Samsung Smart TVs equipped with PVR functions and listing the possible ways to obtain the same result on devices not equipped with the same feature.
How to Record Programs on Samsung Smart TV
Having made the necessary clarifications of the case, the time has come to get to the heart of this tutorial and to understand, together, how to record programs on Samsung Smart TVs compatible with the PVR function .
Keep in mind that the menu items you see on your TV may differ slightly from those you’ll find throughout this guide, it all depends on the model you have.
In any case, the first step to take is to prepare the USB stick or external disk on which to archive the contents: the support, preferably empty, must have been previously formatted in FAT32 (purely for compatibility reasons).
After having “prepared” the device in which to store the recording, connect it to the TV, position yourself on the channel that is broadcasting the TV program to be recorded and, if present, press the REC button to start recording the video.
Alternatively, first press the button showing the colored circles (generally located at the top) or the Smart HUB button , wait for the on-screen menu to appear and use the joystick/directional arrows on the remote control to reach the Record option . When you have found it, select it and press the central button of the joystick or the Enter key to start capturing the video.
If all went well, you should receive a notification that recording has started; to stop it, press the REC key again or go back to the quick menu of the television and press, this time, the virtual button Stop recording .
Alternatively, you can start or schedule the recording of a TV program directly from the guide: to access the latter, press the Guide or Ch key on the remote control, locate and select the program to record, press and hold down the Enter key or the middle button of the joystick and, when the pop-up menu appears, select the item Record (for programs on the air) or Schedule recording (for programs that will air in the future); the television must remain on during the entire process.
Once you have finished recording the contents, you can review them by reconnecting the device to the TV’s USB port, calling up the Smart HUB menu and selecting the Recordings icon .
Note : If the USB drive is not formatted correctly, the TV may ask you to format it before starting or scheduling the recording. To proceed, aware that the operation will delete all the files in memory , press the Yes button visible in the warning window that appears on the screen.
Other systems to record a program on Samsung TV
As I mentioned at the beginning of this guide, Samsung Smart TVs for the Italian market and products starting from 2018 do not have integrated program recording functionality.
To deal with this, you can use a digital terrestrial or satellite decoder (if you have a satellite dish) with a USB input and channel recording enabled : to verify this last feature, make sure that the PVR function is explicitly mentioned in the device data sheet or channel recording .
Unfortunately, almost all decoders intended for the Italian market and produced starting from the second half of 2020 no longer have this feature, but, with a bit of luck, you shouldn’t have any problems getting a model produced on an earlier date: below you I list a few.
Once you have the device in question, connect it to the HDMI socket on the TV, connect the digital/satellite antenna cable to the set-top box, turn on both devices, and tune the TV to the appropriate HDMI source .
Now, complete the first configuration of the device, indicating the language , the country of use and carrying out the initial tuning of the channels, then tune into what you want to record and, after connecting the USB stick or the disc to the decoder, press the Rec button on the remote control of the same. To stop recording, press this last key again.
Keep in mind that, during the entire recording, it is essential that the decoder remains on, but it is possible to switch off the TV without problems.
Once the registration is complete, if you want to watch the channels on your Samsung TV again, reconnect the antenna to the latter and use the Smart Hub/SRC button on the remote control to choose the TV/TV Channels or Satellite source .
Alternatively, you can record TV channels with the aid of a computer, using specific online services or dedicated PC tuners: I told you about these options in my guide on how to record from digital terrestrial, also valid for television sets not produced by Samsung.
Finally, bear in mind that thanks to HbbTV technology (i.e. the possibility of using advanced functions for numerous television channels via the Internet), you can take advantage of services such as Rai Play and Mediaset Play to review your programs whenever you want favorites: to find out more, I invite you to take a look at my tutorials dedicated to the aforementioned platforms.