Save.TV

Save.TV is a German web-based online video recorder service, often described as a cloud DVR, that has been offering registered users the functionality of a video recorder over the internet since September 2005. The service concentrates on German television channels and allows subscribers to programme recordings from an editorial electronic programme guide or via search, store them in a personal TV cloud, and then stream or download them to a range of devices. According to the company's own materials, the platform currently covers more than 45 channels and offers a catalogue of around 10,000 programmes per month, spanning films, series, shows, documentaries and music. The core proposition is convenience and flexibility: users select a channel, schedule a recording with one click, and later watch the content on a PC or Mac, smartphone, tablet or smart TV, in HD and, in higher tiers, without advertising. Recordings can be programmed up to four weeks in advance, and the electronic programme guide shows the schedule for the previous and next four weeks. Apps are available for iOS, Android, Windows and Kindle Fire devices, and Chromecast support has been highlighted in reviews. The service has repeatedly been described as a test winner by German consumer media, and the homepage states that Save.TV is a 15-time test winner. Save.TV operates on a subscription model. After a 14-day free trial, users choose between several tiers — historically a Basis tariff, an XL tariff and an XXL tariff — with terms of 3, 6, 12 or, for XL, 24 months, and monthly prices reported between roughly €7 and €16.50. Recording capacity is 50 hours in the base tariff and unlimited in the XL tariff, although recordings are automatically deleted after 30 days regardless of tariff. Higher tiers add MP4/H.264 downloads, HD quality and ad-free playback. A free, limited variant was discontinued in early September 2010. The legal status of internet-based video recorders has been contested in Germany. Save.TV relies on the legal framework of private copying, and in a ruling of 22 April 2009 the Bundesgerichtshof held that internet-based video recorders can be permissible under certain circumstances if they do not infringe copyright or retransmission rights, requiring fully automated processes and individual copies per customer. On 12 July 2011 the Oberlandesgericht Dresden confirmed that Save.TV's recordings on behalf of customers did not violate reproduction rights. However, after a complaint by ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, the Landgericht München I ruled on 9 August 2012 that Save.TV could no longer offer the media group's programmes for recording; Save.TV nevertheless continued to offer them as of January 2013. RTL's channels were also unavailable for programming for extended periods. Save.TV has experienced operational disruptions, including the temporary shutdown of its official forum at the end of March 2016, after which members set up a new forum, and a hacker attack that took the service temporarily offline at the end of April 2020. The service remains active and continues to develop its apps and cloud recording features.

Save.TV was launched in September 2005 as a web-based online service giving registered users the functionality of a video recorder over the internet, with a focus on German television channels. The model was subscription-based from the outset: after a 14-day free trial, users had to choose one of several tariffs that renewed automatically. A free, limited variant existed until it was discontinued in early September 2010. The service built its offering around an editorial electronic programme guide and a personal recording archive in the cloud. Users could select channels, programme recordings with one click, and later stream or download them. Recording capacity was 50 hours in the base tariff and unlimited in the XL tariff, with all recordings automatically deleted after 30 days regardless of tariff. Recordings could be scheduled up to four weeks in advance, and the EPG covered the previous and next four weeks. Apps for Windows, Android, iOS and Kindle devices extended access beyond the PC, and an integration with TVgenial provided a simple recording interface. Quality and formats evolved over time. Until summer 2016, base packages delivered recordings in AVI format at 720 × 576 pixels, 1100 kbps video (VBR) and 128 kbps audio (VBR). The XL and XXL tariffs added MP4 downloads in H.264 HQ (1024 × 576, 1500 kbps video, 128 kbps audio) and H.264 Mobile (480 × 270, 500 kbps VBR video, 128 kbps audio), along with a cut list that removed lead-in, lead-out and advertising before streaming or download. From June 2014, HD resolution (1280 × 720) was available in the XL tariff as a beta; the beta ended on 5 February 2015, after which HD became a standard selectable format in the Save.TV Downloadmanager and its successor Save.TV Herbie for Windows. A free programme called Cutbutler allowed users to cut advertising, with cut lists exchanged via databases such as save-werbefrei.de. The channel line-up included public and commercial broadcasters such as 3sat, Anixe, ARD, Arte, Bayerisches Fernsehen, ARD-alpha, Comedy Central, Deluxe Music, Disney Channel, DMAX, one, Eurosport, hr-fernsehen, kabel eins, KiKA, MDR Fernsehen, NDR Fernsehen, Nick, n-tv, Welt, phoenix, ProSieben, rbb Fernsehen, RTLZWEI, Sat.1, Sixx, Sport1, Super RTL, SWR Fernsehen, tagesschau24, Tele 5, VOX, WDR Fernsehen, ZDF, ZDFinfo, ZDFneo, TLC, N24 Doku, Sat.1 Gold and ProSieben MAXX. HD recording was available for 19 channels including 3sat, Anixe, arte, BR, Das Erste, one, HR, KiKA, MDR, NDR, Phoenix, RBB, Servus TV, SWR, tagesschau24, WDR, ZDF, ZDFneo and ZDFinfo. At least 10 channels with 10 simultaneous recordings were guaranteed. RTL was listed and advertised from the end of 2007 to April 2010 but could not be programmed because RTL did not permit it; between mid-April and early August 2010 RTL was freely programmable, after which recording was again suspended indefinitely. Legal questions shaped the service's history. In a ruling of 22 April 2009, the Bundesgerichtshof held that internet-based video recorders are permissible under certain circumstances if they do not infringe copyright or retransmission rights, requiring commercial providers to ensure a fully automated process and that each customer records their own copy. A complaint by RTL against providers of web-based video recorders was remanded to appellate courts for case-by-case review. Save.TV stated that it met these requirements. On 12 July 2011, the Oberlandesgericht Dresden confirmed that Save.TV's recordings on behalf of customers did not violate reproduction rights. After a complaint by ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, the Landgericht München I ruled on 9 August 2012 (case 7 O 26557/11) that Save.TV could no longer offer the media group's programmes for recording, finding that the rights of the broadcasters were infringed and that the service could not operate without a licence; Save.TV nevertheless continued to offer ProSiebenSat.1 programmes as of January 2013 and issued a statement in its official forum on 13 August 2012. Operationally, Save.TV shut down its official forum at the end of March 2016, after which several members built a new forum. At the end of April 2020, the service was temporarily offline due to a hacker attack. The company has continued to develop its apps and cloud recording features, and its homepage presents the service as a 15-time test winner with a 14-day free trial.

• Save.TV launches as a web-based online video recorder service for German television.

• The Bundesgerichtshof rules that internet-based video recorders can be permissible under certain conditions.

• The free, limited variant of Save.TV is discontinued.

• The Oberlandesgericht Dresden confirms Save.TV's recordings do not violate reproduction rights.

• The Landgericht München I rules that Save.TV may no longer offer ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG programmes for recording.

• HD resolution (1280 × 720) becomes available in the XL tariff as a beta.

• The HD beta ends; HD becomes a standard selectable format in the Save.TV Downloadmanager and Save.TV Herbie for Windows.

• The official Save.TV forum is shut down; members later build a new forum.

• Save.TV is temporarily offline due to a hacker attack.

A German cloud DVR / online video recorder service focused on convenience, device flexibility and ad-free HD viewing of German free-to-air television.

• Basis tariff

  Entry subscription with 50 hours of recording capacity; recordings deleted after 30 days.

• XL tariff

  Higher tier with unlimited recording capacity, MP4/H.264 downloads, HD quality and ad-free playback options.

• XXL tariff

  Top tier with extended functionality.

• Save.TV Downloadmanager

  Windows download manager supporting HD as a standard format after February 2015.

• Save.TV Herbie

  Successor to the Downloadmanager for Windows, supporting HD as a standard format.

• Cutbutler

  Free programme for cutting advertising from recordings, using cut lists exchanged via databases such as save-werbefrei.de.

1. 1Save.TV - Dein Online-Videorecordersave.tv
2. 2Save.TV - Alles über deinen Online-Videorecordersave.tv
3. 3Save.TVwikidata.org
4. 4Save.TVde.wikipedia.org