In today’s society, we all lead busy lives, making it tough to watch all our favorite shows right when they air. For this reason, many people choose to record the shows and movies they want to watch, then play them back on their own time. If you have a Roku Ultra, you may be wondering if you can record shows using this streaming player.

There is no direct way to record using Roku Ultra. This is because the player does not have any built-in memory to record on, nor does it include a DVR feature. But, if you download a streaming service that offers a cloud DVR service, you can use the app to record your favorite programs. 

Below, we will discuss the different ways you can record content on Roku Ultra, even if you can’t record it straight on the device. Keep reading to learn all the details! 

Can You Record on Roku Ultra? 

It is not possible to record onto Roku Ultra directly since it does not have a built-in memory or a DVR feature. But, many streaming services do offer cloud DVR services, where the shows you record are stored in the cloud. 

How Does a Cloud DVR Work? 

On some devices, you can record television shows, movies, or anything else you want to watch directly on the device’s memory. Then, the content will wait in your DVR until you are ready to watch.  

A traditional DVR holds all your recordings on a physical device. A cloud DVR, on the other hand, stores your recordings in the cloud where you can access them at any time. Since there’s no physical memory involved, you can record significantly more hours of TV shows or movies with a cloud DVR.  

Why a Cloud DVR is Better Than a Traditional DVR

With a traditional DVR, you have a certain amount of memory. When this space starts to run out, certain features begin to lag. On a cloud DVR, you can record all the content you want without ever affecting the device’s speed or performance. Cloud DVRs also allow you to record multiple shows at once, while traditional DVRs generally only let users record one program at a time. 

If a traditional DVR breaks or malfunctions, you may lose all your recordings and have no way of retrieving them. When you use a cloud DVR, however, your recordings are safely stored online. Even if you change devices, your recordings are not going anywhere. 

For these reasons, using a cloud-based DVR system is often a better choice. These advantages have made many services decide to move away from a physical storage device and toward a cloud-based system. 

Subscription Services That Allow You to Record on Roku Ultra 

Not all the streaming channels offered on the Roku Store will give you the option of using a cloud DVR system. Knowing which ones do before you purchase your Roku Ultra or download an app from the Roku Store will help you make the best decision. Some of the streaming services that offer this feature include: 

  • Hulu with Live TVSling TVFuboTVPhilo

Each offers excellent features, but different people find that different applications work best for their unique needs.

Hulu with Live TV

Hulu with Live TV has two different subscription levels you can choose from. One comes with ads, and one comes without ads. The ad-free version is slightly more expensive.  

When you choose Hulu with Live TV, you gain access to a huge streaming service and many live channels. You can record up to 50 hours of programming on the cloud with an ads-based subscription. If you want more, you can upgrade to the ad-free version to record up to 200 hours of content.

Sling TV

Sling TV is only available for customers in the United States. It offers a simple, straightforward service where you can record up to 50 hours of live programming, stored on a cloud DVR. Sling also offers a slightly more expensive subscription level that increases your recording capacity to 200 total recording hours. 

While certain channels, including ESPN 3, are not available for recording, most of the popular channels can be recorded. You can choose to record only a single episode, or you can set up your account to record an entire series. 

FuboTV

FuboTV is a great service for anyone who loves watching sports. The standard package mainly includes sports channels, but the Elite plan also includes crime networks and news channels.  With the standard package, you gain access to up to 250 hours of recordings stored on a cloud DVR. If you choose to upgrade the Elite plan, you increase your recording capacity to up to 1000 hours! 

Philo

Philo is a streaming service owned by Discovery. Philo gives you access to approximately 60 channels, but its biggest advantage is the unlimited storage capacity for you to record on. When you record a show, it will continue to record the entire series from that point on. After 12 months, the service will delete the recordings automatically. 

In the end, you can’t record directly onto the Roku Ultra because it does not have an internal memory or DVR feature. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t record with Roku Ultra at all! 

It is very possible to record with this streaming player. You just need to combine your Roku Ultra with a streaming service that offers a cloud-based DVR service. This will allow you to easily record shows, movies, or anything else while using your Roku Ultra streaming player.