Keeping the Peace: DVR Rules the Whole Family Should Follow

If you’re always busy and looking for ways to save time, chances are you have a home DVR. These devices are convenient for watching TV on your terms. You can skip commercials, get through shows faster and you never have to worry about missing your favorite programs.

But if you share the DVR box with family members or roommates, things can get hairy from time to time. One person’s recording may cancel out the recording of another, storage space may quickly disappear or your favorite show might suddenly disappear from the queue. How do you keep the peace?

Don’t let the TV strain your relationships. Follow these simple tips when sharing a DVR and rest easy knowing you’ll all be able to relax in front of the TV without stress or worry.

1. Share storage space.

Your DVR might have enough storage space to accommodate everybody’s favorite programs. But if you’re dealing with limited storage space, be considerate and don’t hog the box.

Understandably, you have your list of can’t-miss shows and movies—but so do others. The same way you share everything else in the home, make sure you share the DVR. If your recordings take up a greater percentage of the storage space, this limits what others are able to record.

Additionally, some DVR systems only allow a certain number of simultaneous recordings. So you might be unable to record all of your favorite primetime shows, especially if others in the household want to record shows that air in the same time slot. If you can’t record everything, there’s always the option of watching these shows on demand.

2. Don’t delete what you didn’t record.

One of the best features of DVR is that you can record several programs and watch them later. Whether it’s the next day, the next week, or months later – it’s all up to you.

When you’re sharing a DVR with others, though, it can be frustrating to have month-old recordings taking up valuable space. And there’s a good chance the person who set these recordings forgot about them. But this doesn’t give you a license to delete their programs, which could create tension.

Talk with the person first to see if they’re still interested in watching the recordings. You never know, they could be planning an upcoming binge-watching session to catch up on the latest season. At the end of the day, put yourself in their shoes: how would you feel if someone deleted your recordings without asking?

3. No spoilers!

You and your family or roommates might enjoy DVRing the same shows, but you might not watch these shows together. In this case, make a conscious effort not to delete any programs after you’ve seen them and – almost as importantly – don’t spoil any episodes! This can be difficult, especially if you enjoy talking about episodes after each airing. Fight this urge and inquire as to whether others have watched the most recent episode before spilling the beans.

DVR is awesome, but problems can arise when there’s only one DVR box in the house. One person might feel as if others are hogging the service, and as a result, they can’t enjoy their programs. It’s important for everyone to be considerate of each other.

The good news is that many TV service providers now offer whole house DVR. This service will cost a little extra each month, but it might be worth the price because you can watch what you want, regardless of what others are doing. You’ll get multiple DVR boxes for rooms throughout the house. And, as a bonus, you can pause a show on one DVR box and resume watching the show on another box. Whole house DVR might also include additional storage space allowing you to record more of your favorites.