TV Screen Recorder: How to Record TV Screen with a Laptop

There is little time to watch our favorite TV show in front of a TV set in an information age. What we need most now is the way to record TV shows and watch them whenever we want. A laptop is the best device to record television to a computer because of its compatibility and portability.

Here comes the question: how to record TV screen with laptop? This tutorial will show you how to record your TV screen with a laptop free using the best TV screen recorder. There are several solutions, and you can choose a suitable one according to your PC's operating system.

Also read:

How to Record TV Screen with Laptop on Windows 10/8/7

Microsoft has removed Windows Media Center from Windows 10 so that Windows 10 users lack a handy built-in recording tool to capture TV shows. Hence, to successfully record your TV screen with a laptop, especially Windows 10, you will need a powerful third-party screen recording tool, such as EaseUS RecExperts for Windows.

This full-featured screen recording software literally records everything on your PC screen. With it, you can record full screen on Windows 10, capture system and microphone audio, and record Webcam with simple clicks.

Before you start recording the TV screen, you need to connect the laptop to the television. Follow the steps below to learn how to record TV shows on a PC using HDMI.

Step 1. Connect the external TV tuner to the computer by plugging the USB cable from the tuner into an available USB port on the PC.

Step 2. Attach the cable from the signal source to the external TV tuner.

Step 3. Program the available channels into the tuner by pressing the "Auto-Tune" or "Scan" button on the tuner to find the device.

Step 4. Download a screen recorder and install it on your computer. In the following tutorial, we will take EaseUS RecExperts as an example. You can click the below button to download it.

Guide on How to Record a TV Screen on PC Windows 10

To show you how to record your television screen with this rich-featured recording tool, we will offer you a detailed tutorial. Follow those steps now.

Step 1. Launch EaseUS RecExperts. Choose a recording mode from "Full Screen" or "Region". To get a better experience, we suggest you choose recording the full screen.

Step 2. Mostly, you will need to record the system sound when recording a video. Just click on the speak sign to select it. You can also tick the "Record silently" function, so that the recording process will be muted without muting the recorded video.

Step 3. After these settings, you can press the red "REC" button to start recording. If you want to pause the recording, click on the white "Pause" button; to end the recording, click on the red "Stop" button.

Step 4. After recording, the recording list window will open. Here you can view, split, delete, manage your recorded videos.

How to Record TV Shows on Laptop in Windows Vista/XP

If you use a laptop with a Windows system other than Windows 10, you don't even have to install any third-party application. Since your computer may be equipped with Windows Media Center, only a TV tuner is needed to capture a signal that can be recorded.

External TV tuners are also available with simple USB connections. So, there is no need to open the computer tower or laptop to install special cards.

Getting Started with Windows Media Center

To check if you own a Windows Media Center on your computer, you need to click the "Type here to research" button on the down-left corner and enter the "Windows Media Center" in the search box. If the program pops up, you can use it to record a TV screen directly. If it doesn't, you need to download it from the Microsoft APP store and install it on your device. 

Steps to Record Television to Computer Free:

Follow this guide, and you will be capable of recording the TV screen freely.

Step 1. Connect the external TV tuner to the computer by plugging the USB cable from the tuner into an available USB port on the PC.

Step 2. Attach the cable from the signal source to the external TV tuner.

Step 3. Program the available channels into the tuner by pressing the "Auto-Tune" or "Scan" button.

Step 4. Open the video recording software on the computer on your computer, in this case, Windows Media Center.

Step 5. Set the tuner to the desired channel for recording, using the tuner's control buttons or the remote control that typically comes with most external TV tuners.

Step 6. Click the "Record" button on the video recording software to begin capturing the show. Click "Stop" when you want to finish the recording.

Step 7. Click the "File" tab and click the "Save" button to store the show on your computer.

Alternative TV Screen Recorder on Laptop

People who have some specific demands always want more options. Therefore, we also offer you some other screen recorders that can enable you to record your TV screen on a laptop. You may also improve your recordings by adding effects or cutting out unnecessary parts.

1. OBS Studio

OBS or Open Broadcaster Software is a free screen video recorder that offers recording and streaming in high definition, with no limits on your videos' length. Customizable hotkeys help control the recording, and an audio mixer allows you to produce videos with smoothly recorded sound.

OBS is also equipped with live-streaming capabilities that you won't find in major operating systems' default screen recorders. You can stream live on YouTube Gaming and Twitch, save projects, and convert your footage in FLV format.

Pros:

• Add video and audio from different sources
• Converts recorded files into a different format easily
• Add filters to your recordings

Cons:

• It has an overwhelming layout
• Sometimes the program continues to screen record even when it has been stopped

2. Camtasia

Camtasia is a robust screen recorder with an inbuilt video editor for both Windows and Mac. This tool can help you make a creative and neat video easily. It enables you to record your system screen and also an external web camera for live streaming videos. Besides, you can edit the recorded videos with the built-in video editor.

However, you will be required to pay a high amount of money before you can use its unique feature. Still, Camtasia is considered to be one of the best video recorders you find on our list. You may start with a template or record your screen and add a few effects.

Pros:

• It has many file-sharing options
• It can provide you a high-quality recorded video
• You can add music, sound, and markup to recorded videos

Cons:

• The pro version is too expensive
• The complex interface makes it difficult for beginners to operate it

Bonus Tips: How to Record a TV Screen on iPhone & Android 

Besides laptop users, mobile phone users may also want to record TV shows they like on their devices so that you can go over them whenever they want.

DU Recorder is a cross-platform TV screen recording tool that you can use on iPhones and Android phones. This recorder enables you to capture whatever on the phone screen in high quality. When you only need to record the sound instead of both the video and audio, it also supports audio recording.

There is a powerful built-in video editing tool along with the screen recorder. If you need to trim, crop, or split the recordings, you don't have to download any other software. It can complete the video editing tasks directly. 

Steps to Record TV Screen on iPhone and Android:

Step 1. Install and launch DU Recorder on your device. There will be an orange icon on your right side, and you can tap it to start recording or stop recording.

Step 2. If you want to have more options, there is a little icon below the recording button, and you can tap to open it.

Step 3. In the "Recording Toolbox", you can choose to record screen and camera simultaneously, add the watermark, or record a GIF.

Step 4. There is a setting icon at the upper right corner in which you can adjust the video quality, video solution, and some other elements.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, there are many ways to record a TV screen with a laptop. The key is to find an effective and easy-to-use screen recorder that you can use conveniently on your computer.

In this article, we have introduced several screen recorders. Among them, EaseUS RecExperts is undoubtedly the best choice for Windows novices. Download it by clicking the blue button below, and you won't regret it.

FAQs About How to Capture TV Screen on Laptop

If you still have some problems after reading this post, you can refer to those answers.

1. Can I record from TV to laptop?

Yes, you only need to follow these steps.

Step 1. Connect the external TV tuner to your laptop by plugging the USB cable, and attach the cable from the signal source to the external TV tuner. Then program the available channels into the tuner by pressing the Auto-Tune or Scan button.

Step 2. Launch EaseUS RecExperts, choose "Full Screen" as your recording mode, then select a screen area to record. You can decide to record the system sound, the microphone audio, or both of them.

Step 3. Click REC to start recording. You can customize the output folder freely.

2. How can I record TV to my computer?

Firstly, you can download EaseUS RecExperts. Secondly, launch it and click on "Full Screen". Thirdly, adjust the sound settings.

You can choose to record system sound, audio from the microphone, or both. Finally, click the REC button to start the recording process. 

3. How do I record my screen on my laptop?

You can use EaseUS RecExperts to record yourself. Firstly, you need to install a webcam or use the built-in camera of your computer. Then launch the software and choose "Webcam". Then, you can click the REC button to start the recording if you adjust all the settings you need.