TiVo Without Cable: Cut the Cord, Not the Features

Whether you're a cord-cutter, or you live where cable isn't available, you have DVR options. You don't need cable or satellite TV to use TiVo's digital video recording capabilities. You can use TiVo with an over-the-air antenna.

Options for Using TiVo Without Cable

Many people use an antenna to receive over-the-air (OTA) programming from local affiliates. Others go the HTPC route and use an ​ATSC tuner to receive OTA digital signals. Some people who live far outside of cable's reach use dual or even multiple ATSC tuners so that they can watch their local affiliates in high-definition.

If you don't feel that an HTPC is right for you, or you don't want to build one, you have another DVR option with OTA signals. Many TiVo devices contain ATSC tuners, which allows you to watch and record local OTA affiliates just like cable subscribers do.

How to Set Up TiVo With an Antenna

Getting TiVo to work with OTA signals is very straightforward if you have a Premiere or HD TiVo. The devices are compatible with digital transmissions, so no additional equipment is necessary. Just use it like you would with your cable or satellite service.

If you have an older TiVo, such as the Series 2 model, a digital converter box is required to convert the digital signals to analog signals. Follow the instructions that come with it to start recording digital TV. TiVo support has a handy compatibility list for antennas and digital converters.

Features of TiVo With an Antenna

You don't gain any special features by using TiVo with OTA signals, but many cable and satellite customers don't want to pay for hundreds of channels. Instead, they are streaming TV from sources such as network websites, Netflix, and Hulu.

While most people can get a majority of their content in this manner, streaming services tend to keep a limited number of episodes of a show, and new content has a limited streaming window. What happens if you're several weeks behind, and the network removes the streaming option?

Recording network programming to watch when you please is still a helpful feature to have, even with all of the streaming services available today. As with cable, TiVo allows you to watch and record up to two channels at once.

TiVo states that 88% of the most recorded shows are available over-the-air. If you have a TiVo Premiere device, then you can also stream from several providers, including Netflix, Amazon VoD, and Hulu Plus, so there's no reason to keep your cable or satellite subscription.