Now the dust is firmly settled from Microsoft's big Gamescom presentation it's time to fill out some more of the details. One feature that got some folks excited is the OTA TV DVR capabilities that Microsoft is adding to the Xbox One in 2016. We've had chance to see it in action in a closed (which means no pictures or video) demo and it's pretty much what you'd want it to be.
To recap: It will only work with the OTA TV Tuner available in select markets in Europe and North America. Cable is not supported and this should come as no surprise (licensing be hard). You'll be able to watch shows on your console, stream them to a Windows 10 device using the Xbox app, or even download them for offline viewing.
To record shows, an external hard-drive will be required. Microsoft has confirmed the feature won't be opened up for people to record shows onto the internal drive in the console. The good news is that unlike storing games, DVR only requires a USB 2.0 drive, not USB 3.0. The hardware requirements are less and presumably that means older drives will work just fine.
The feature also allows you to set up series links for recordings. Either while watching a show or through the OneGuide you can press the view button on the controller and bring up a small sub menu. It's here you'll find an option to either record just that show or set the entire season to record. What's also pretty neat is that if you've got your console in instant on mode, you don't have to worry about leaving it on to record your shows. It'll take care of that for you, just like a regular DVR would.
A lot of people asked for it and in 2016 Microsoft is delivering. We'll reserve final judgment until real people have it on real consoles, but so far we like what we see.
Update: We've added a small gallery of official images below provided by Microsoft to show the feature in action.
