TiVo bolt

[Clarbear]

Somewhere on this site mentioned about the TiVo bolt that the sensitive of the wires or something are little different to bring the television channels including the other channels that's harder to come in better than regular tv antennas. I'm wondering if it's true or not. Someone mentioned that they got the TiVo bolt for around $199 some where. Do I have to get extra stuff for it to get updates on the bolt.

Can someone please help explain about that. Thank you.

 

[Jim5506]

If you buy a TiVo Bolt the box alone starts at $199, you must also have either a monthly subscription ($15) to the TiVo service, annual subscription ($149) or buy a lifetime subscription ($549).

I just looked on the TiVo site and their OTA solution is a Roamio, but they are out of stock right now, no prices listed.

weaknees.com has Bolts in stock.

I have two Bolt OTA with lifetime that I got about a year ago when TiVo ran a trade in special where I swapped two TiVo HD lifetime models for two bolt OTA with lifetime for about $250 each.

Be sure the type of Bolt/Roamio you get is for the method of reception you intend because they make TiVos that are solely for Cable use , solely for antenna use and some are mixed and will do both.

 

[Clarbear]

If you buy a TiVo Bolt the box alone starts at $199, you must also have either a monthly subscription ($15) to the TiVo service, annual subscription ($149) or buy a lifetime subscription ($549).

I just looked on the TiVo site and their OTA solution is a Roamio, but they are out of stock right now, no prices listed.

weaknees.com has Bolts in stock.

I have two Bolt OTA with lifetime that I got about a year ago when TiVo ran a trade in special where I swapped two TiVo HD lifetime models for two bolt OTA with lifetime for about $250 each.

Be sure the type of Bolt/Roamio you get is for the method of reception you intend because they make TiVos that are solely for Cable use , solely for antenna use and some are mixed and will do both.

Thank you very much for the information.

 

[harshness]

TiVo was occasionally blowing out Roamio OTAs earlier this year for around $199 with lifetime service. I imagine they were cleaning house.

I would have to think very seriously about investing in an OTA DVR with lifetime service that has no hope of receiving Next Gen (ATSC 3.0) signals unless it was such a give-away. A uniquely Next-Gen TV band (where DTV has effectively been sunset) may be years away but the channels will be here much sooner.

 

[Clarbear]

TiVo was occasionally blowing out Roamio OTAs earlier this year for around $199 with lifetime service. I imagine they were cleaning house.

I would have to think very seriously about investing in an OTA DVR with lifetime service that has no hope of receiving Next Gen (ATSC 3.0) signals unless it was such a give-away. A uniquely Next-Gen TV band (where DTV has effectively been sunset) may be years away but the channels will be here much sooner.

If you had a choice of get the best one to receive the best reception to get all the channels that the area that are available in the area? I prefer indoor atena. If you have to get a TiVo or Raku or something similar that would also get best results of getting all the channels in the area? Thank you .

 

[osu1991]

Roku doesnt receive OTA, you have to use something like an HD Homerun with Plex or a Tablo. I have several setups. An old DTVPal DVR, Tivo Roamios and a couple of Silicon Dust HD Homeruns that I use with Plex to record and previously used NextPVR with on a computer. The HD Homerun can be used on a Roku via Plex or it can also be used with an Amazon Fire Tv via Plex or there is a native HD Homerun App on the FireTV's for watching Live TV or subscribing to Silicon Dusts dvr service.

In my location, they all are the same in terms of signal reception with a mix of VHF and UHF stations that are mostly in the same direction and about 20-25miles away.

The Tivo is the most user friendly. The Tivo in conjunction with a Tivo Mini allows for multiroom use and doesn't require a computer or external drive somewhere to record.

The HD Homerun is a network tuner that via Plex or the HD Homerun app on the Fire TV also allows for multiroom use, but the dvr functions are not as user friendly as the Tivo.

The Tablo is also a network tuner that can allow for multroom use, but I don't have any working knowledge of it.

ATSC3.0 is a consideration, but you have to buy for now and not worry about 5-10yrs from now. 3.0 most likely will become available in the next year but it wont be widespread. There are no tuners available yet and they wont be cheap when they do appear. For the next couple of years, I would go with a Tivo Roamio OTA if they are on sale anywhere from $299 or lower, just for the standalone convenience and the features of the Tivo software. Also the other options are not as user friendly in the setup and will be daunting for some, which is why I went with Tivo's for my mom and stepmom.

 

[Clarbear]

Roku doesnt receive OTA, you have to use something like an HD Homerun with Plex or a Tablo. I have several setups. An old DTVPal DVR, Tivo Roamios and a couple of Silicon Dust HD Homeruns that I use with Plex to record and previously used NextPVR with on a computer. The HD Homerun can be used on a Roku via Plex or it can also be used with an Amazon Fire Tv via Plex or there is a native HD Homerun App on the FireTV's for watching Live TV or subscribing to Silicon Dusts dvr service.

In my location, they all are the same in terms of signal reception with a mix of VHF and UHF stations that are mostly in the same direction and about 20-25miles away.

The Tivo is the most user friendly. The Tivo in conjunction with a Tivo Mini allows for multiroom use and doesn't require a computer or external drive somewhere to record.

The HD Homerun is a network tuner that via Plex or the HD Homerun app on the Fire TV also allows for multiroom use, but the dvr functions are not as user friendly as the Tivo.

The Tablo is also a network tuner that can allow for multroom use, but I don't have any working knowledge of it.

ATSC3.0 is a consideration, but you have to buy for now and not worry about 5-10yrs from now. 3.0 most likely will become available in the next year but it wont be widespread. There are no tuners available yet and they wont be cheap when they do appear. For the next couple of years, I would go with a Tivo Roamio OTA if they are on sale anywhere from $299 or lower, just for the standalone convenience and the features of the Tivo software. Also the other options are not as user friendly in the setup and will be daunting for some, which is why I went with Tivo's for my mom and stepmom.

Osu1991 Would Tivo Roamio OTA VOX be as good as the regular TiVo Roamio OTA. I just wanted to make sure that either one of them be good or little better.

 

[jayn_j]

TiVo was occasionally blowing out Roamio OTAs earlier this year for around $199 with lifetime service. I imagine they were cleaning house.

I would have to think very seriously about investing in an OTA DVR with lifetime service that has no hope of receiving Next Gen (ATSC 3.0) signals unless it was such a give-away. A uniquely Next-Gen TV band (where DTV has effectively been sunset) may be years away but the channels will be here much sooner.

I have been at this for a long time and over the years have made some observations about future proofing.
1. Schedules slip. Promises of something next year will inevitably be 5 years+ if ever.
2. Provisions for future proofing almost never work. They are there to sell electronics now. When the new feature happens, the adapter never materializes, or when it does it is more expensive than just buying the new stuff.
3. The final version of the feature is never exactly what was envisioned 2 years previously.
4. There is always something new and better promised for next year. If you don't drive a stick in the sand, you will be burdened with perpetual waiting.

My philosophy is to wait until my current equipment does not meet my needs, then buy the equipment that brings me up to the CURRENT state of the art. Once I have done so, I flat out stop reading about the new stuff until time has passed and the new equipment no longer meets my needs. Cycle repeats. I tend to get about 10-12 years out of a setup.

 

[jayn_j]

BTW, I have a TIVO Roamio and mini. They suit my needs very well and are excellent tuners here in the Milwaukee market (near I-43 and Brown Deer Rd)
Do not buy a used Premiere. I also have one of these, and the tuner is quite weak.
Used Roamios with lifetime can be had in the $300 range on ebay and craigslist. Be sure you buy the 4 tuner model Roamio as the 6 tuner ones are cable only.

 

[harshness]

Schedules slip. Promises of something next year will inevitably be 5 years+ if ever.

The difference here is that Next Gen isn't mandated and there are already a few stations that are broadcasting. If we were waiting for a mandated transition as we did with the DTV transition, then your position would be much stronger.

The final version of the feature is never exactly what was envisioned 2 years previously.

ATSC 3.0 stations are broadcasting today and while there may be some enhancements to the ratified standard, they should be fairly easy to incorporate.

I expect that in order to foster uptake of Next Gen, the stations will offer content on their ATSC 3.0 stations that they don't offer on their DTV stations and that's a huge difference from the last time around where we had to wait for the cut to enjoy the enhanced content (primarily HD but also digital audio).

 

[harshness]

Somewhere on this site mentioned about the TiVo bolt that the sensitive of the wires or something are little different to bring the television channels including the other channels that's harder to come in better than regular tv antennas. I'm wondering if it's true or not.

Most of the differences that people see come from the fact that most TiVos have multiple tuners and as such each tuner is behind a built-in splitter. Most TVs don't have to contend with this so they appear to have better tuners when that isn't necessarily true.

The Roamio OTA has a two-way splitter built in and the Roamio OTA Vox has a four-way splitter so you can see how this defies an apples-to-apples comparison with single-tuner devices.

 

[osu1991]

Osu1991 Would Tivo Roamio OTA VOX be as good as the regular TiVo Roamio OTA. I just wanted to make sure that either one of them be good or little better.

As far as I know they are still the same box. The VOX is just the voice control remote and a Bluetooth adapter added to the regular 4 tuner Roamio box. Using voice features also requires the use of the new TiVo 4th gen OS called Hydra. Some like it, some don’t, either way one can roll the OS back to gen 3 Encore and give up the voice features. Although you also lose any recordings in the rollback. I use both OS on my boxes.

There is also no difference between the Roamio OTA and the Roamio Basic (that does cable or OTA). They just removed the cable card bracket from the Roamio OTA version and included lifetime service in the price of the OTA. The basic like with the Bolt you have to pay monthly, annually or buy lifetime.

 

[navychop]

Offer what, smell-o-vision?

Yeah, interactive and tailored commercials.


Sent from my iPhone using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[harshness]

Offer what, smell-o-vision?

I'm very much looking forward to the possibility of HD HDR and a return of some of the quality lost in packing two HD and multiple SD signals into a single channel. My PBS station (KOPB) suffers horribly due to bandwidth overload. Last I checked, three of my local channels have two HD feeds riding on their DTV carrier. Another, KPXG, has a 720p feed and six SD feeds.

There's also the UHD carrot, but I'm not holding my breath for that.

 

[jayn_j]

The difference here is that Next Gen isn't mandated and there are already a few stations that are broadcasting. If we were waiting for a mandated transition as we did with the DTV transition, then your position would be much stronger.ATSC 3.0 stations are broadcasting today and while there may be some enhancements to the ratified standard, they should be fairly easy to incorporate.

I expect that in order to foster uptake of Next Gen, the stations will offer content on their ATSC 3.0 stations that they don't offer on their DTV stations and that's a huge difference from the last time around where we had to wait for the cut to enjoy the enhanced content (primarily HD but also digital audio).

There were test stations broadcasting ATSC 1.0 in the 90s, but it took years, countless extensions, and the offer of free tuner boxes to make it happen a decade later.
I don't see how a lack of mandate to force acceptance, coupled with a repack that disallows simulcast is going to speed this up, or even to make it happen. I believe this could become yet another failed concept. If this succeeds, it needs to have something compelling to force the average viewer (not us enthusiasts) to toss away their sets and start over.

Harshness, I know you are the grand prophet of ATSC 3.0, but lighten up a bit. I mourn the fact that your heavy handed attitude has killed what used to be a lively discussion among active and knowledgeable members. All gone now.

 

[fireponromance]

My TiVo Bolt and Mini’s have been mostly rock solid along with Fios in the Philly market. The minis are slow and freeze up sometimes. I’ve also been messing with HDHomRunPrime & Emby/Plex mostly on an experimental basis. I like it quite a bit and I honestly hope it gets better over time. It’s still not ready for prime time in many, many ways. It simply does not provide the rock solid stability of TiVo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[harshness]

There were test stations broadcasting ATSC 1.0 in the 90s, but it took years, countless extensions, and the offer of free tuner boxes to make it happen a decade later.
I don't see how a lack of mandate to force acceptance, coupled with a repack that disallows simulcast is going to speed this up, or even to make it happen.

The biggest difference is that they can broadcast officially rather than in some sort of testing mode and having to be gravely concerned about channel adjacency as was the case with NTSC and early DTV transmitters. Because the FCC chose to "allow", they can go live and do anything that any other channel can do (plus any of the other stuff that Next Gen may bring).

There are differences between active licenses and testing licenses both from a technical perspective and from the standpoint of being able to approach advertisers and networks with a live station that they might wish to air their stuff on.

 

[Clarbear]

BTW, I have a TIVO Roamio and mini. They suit my needs very well and are excellent tuners here in the Milwaukee market (near I-43 and Brown Deer Rd)
Do not buy a used Premiere. I also have one of these, and the tuner is quite weak.
Used Roamios with lifetime can be had in the $300 range on ebay and craigslist. Be sure you buy the 4 tuner model Roamio as the 6 tuner ones are cable only.

Thank you for the information. The main reason that I was asking because I was planning to get one for myself. Hoping that the thing could help getting all the channels that is offer in Milwaukee market. Some of the channels aren't coming in like my old television set.

 

[Larry1]

Some of the channels aren't coming in like my old television set.

I like my TiVo and have both a Roamio OTA and a BOLT. The Roamio OTA does not have the ability to stream to another device like the BOLT, but the Roamio OTA can be purchased with a lifetime subscription for there are no monthly program guide costs. A lifetime subscription for the BOLT, just the subscription, is more than the cost of the Roamio OTA with the lifetime subscription.
If you are not receiving all the channels you should be, then first is to see why they are not coming in now. If you have a digital tuner now and are not getting all the channels, then you most likely will not get all the channels with a TiVo until you find out why they are not being received.
First let us know what you have for an antenna, your tvfool listing, and what you want to get.

 

[Clarbear]

As far as I know they are still the same box. The VOX is just the voice control remote and a Bluetooth adapter added to the regular 4 tuner Roamio box. Using voice features also requires the use of the new TiVo 4th gen OS called Hydra. Some like it, some don’t, either way one can roll the OS back to gen 3 Encore and give up the voice features. Although you also lose any recordings in the rollback. I use both OS on my boxes.

There is also no difference between the Roamio OTA and the Roamio Basic (that does cable or OTA). They just removed the cable card bracket from the Roamio OTA version and included lifetime service in the price of the OTA. The basic like with the Bolt you have to pay monthly, annually or buy lifetime.

Osu1991 so would the Roamio OTA would be little better than TiVo bolt?