Cloud DVR explained: storage, limits and fine print

A cloud DVR records shows on the provider's servers instead of a box in your living room. You can play recordings on any supported device, and there's no hard drive to fill up or fail.

Plans differ in three ways: how much you can store (hours or 'unlimited'), how long recordings are kept before they expire, and whether you can fast-forward through ads.

Some providers replace a recording with an on-demand version that has unskippable ads when one is available. This is a licensing requirement, not a glitch, and it's worth knowing about if skipping ads matters to you.

Simultaneous recording is usually unlimited, so conflicts in the guide are rarely a problem the way they were with tuner-based DVRs.

Check each service's current DVR terms in our reviews. Providers change them more often than prices.