Screen Recording | Android TV

Screen Recording on Android TV

My 43" TV is a SONY Bravia Android TV - KD-43XD8088 - a 2016 version. To my disappointment I have not been able to record the Android TV screen. Recently my TV got a system upgrade from Android Nougat 7.0 to Oreo 8.0, and I decided to try five screenrecording apps - all sideloaded. DU Recorder and AZ Screen Recorder obtained reasonable results:

View Video 4 min

DU Recorder ver 2.1.3.2

I have previously only used DU Recorder when trying to find a screen recorder for Android-x86, without success for all of the apps except for Recordable. Now on the Android TV DU worked best of the five apps I have tried - though without its overlay menu. I used it for most of the above video.

Just became aware that the app has changed name on Google Play Store to My Recorder (or MyScreenRecorder) - a somewhat simpler version. Addendum 2019-07-17: It does not work: dies if enabeling audio permission, and if not it is stuck.

I used the following settings and received a reasonable video quality : Settings:

Video resolution: 720p (1280X720)
Video Quality: Auto
Frame rate: 25 fps
Record audio: No
Recording mode: Standard
Show touches: Yes (in Developer options)

DU Recorder
The watermark can be disabled!

AZ Screen Recorder ver 5.1.8

I used AZ Screen Recorder by Hecorat for a while on my Android Tablet, then Nexus 7 & 9. On the TV I got the screen shown to the right, asking to permit drawing over other apps. Unlike the other apps below, tapping one the red button GO TO ALLOW THIS, (or on the white button USE NOTIFICATION TO RECORD), moved you straight onto the app's main screen. And recording worked, roughly as for the DU Recorder - also without its overlay menu.

Used the same settings as for the DU Recorder. The frame rate turned out to be about 75 fps rather than the 25 fps that I had set.

Permission Screen

AZ Main Screen

Recordable ver 4.2.0.4

Recordable is one of my favourite apps for screenrecording on my Android Tablets, now Samsung Galaxy TAB S2. I have paid for the premium version. On the Android TV, however, its Welcome screen does not show the links for Start Recording, Settings or Menu in the top right corner. So there is no way to continue!

Tried the free version (4.2.0.6), also without success.

Welcome Screen on TV and on Tablet

Mobizen ver 3.6.6.7

I also used Mobizen for a while on my Android Tablet, then Nexus 7 & 9. On the TV there is a request for permission to draw over other apps. When tapping the settings link, the app dies!

Draw over other apps permission - dies!

ScreenRecorder 5+ ver 9.5

SCR Screen Recorder by NLL is another of my favourites on my Android Tablets, then Nexus 7 & 9 and now Galaxy TAB S2. But on the Android TV the app was unable to open the "MANAGE_OVERLAY_ACTIVITY", without which recording won't be possible.

The newer version 10.5 got stuck already at the first screen to the right. I have bought the PRO license, but the app did not accept installing from a backup apk from my Tablet - instead insisting that I install from the Play Store. But there the Android TV was filtered out as a not compatible type of device.

Hardware Overlay

Hardware overlay seems to be the main issue for most or all of these apps. I tried without success to enable one or several of the items in Developer options - Hardware accelerated rendering.

On my tablet Settings/App/Mobizen (as an example) there is a setting under Advanced to allow permission of "Apps that can appear on top", which is the Samsung version of "Draw over other apps". There is no corresponding setting on the Android TV. For DU and AZ the "magic menu bullet" does not work, but this does not prevent the recording to function.

Draw over other apps - permission not granted

Developer Options