Ultra-slim new TiVo box cuts through commercials, streams 4K
And the app introduces expanded social sharing functions that go beyond Facebook and Twitter to include email and other methods. It now works with the YouTube and Netflix apps, though you’ll have to get the $12 Netflix subscription to access it. TiVo is in talks with Amazon for its 4K app.
In SkipMode, TiVo has tagged the exact in- and out-points for recorded shows cutting in and out of commercials, so you can jump past ads with more accuracy.
And the company’s PR has changed as well. We use cookies to improve your browsing experience.
Welcome to Mossberg, a new weekly commentary and reviews column on The Verge and Re/code by veteran tech journalist Walt Mossberg, now an Executive Editor at The Verge and Editor at Large of Re/code.
In my tests, over the past week, SkipMode invariably made all the commercials disappear and returned me exactly to where programming resumed. Even boot time, which has felt interminable on past models, speeds up to an average of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. But it doesn’t work on every recorded show. On top of that, there’s a certain comedy to the sped-up, quick-clipped movement you see when watching standard TV programming. The fall update will add new features to TiVo’s iOS app, including the ability create a custom “What to Watch” menu. It speeds up any recorded show by 30 percent, without making the dialogue sound like it’s being delivered by chipmunks. From “Citizen Kane” to ‘Mad Max: Fury Road, ‘ all are a snap to find and watch with Collections where you can automatically record Academy Award(R) recipients from any year. You’d look over a list of upcoming TV shows and movies on the channels you get, and click Record for each one you want to capture.
Is that thing really a TiVo? But, again, the TiVo Bolt is more than a DVR. It will take up less space by your TV but it’s harder to stack other gear on top. If you have Minis, fear not, they will work with the Bolt as well.
The Bolt box supports the HDMI 2.0 spec and HDCP 2.2 copy protection, which means it should be able to dole out 4K video at 60fps from the next generation of sources.
TiVo has not only drastically overhauled the appearance of its product, it has taken steps to hide the monthly $15 fee it charges over and above what your cable service costs.
Automatic ad skipping isn’t an entirely new concept for DVRs, and a previous effort by Dish Network prompted lawsuits from several broadcasters.
One box to rule them all?
The new TiVo Bolt DVR remains an expensive alternative to the box you can rent from your cable company. The app also works as a remote control and allows users to manage recordings.
Since their announcement of the Roamio two years ago, TiVo has been a bit quiet.
Now, with the Bolt, TiVo is ready to proclaim itself the One Box To Rule Them All. It makes unified entertainment systems – and its first one is called “Bolt”. TiVo Bolt will be available today at TiVo.com, BestBuy.com and Amazon.com, and in stores starting October 4, 2015 at Best Buy, Magnolia Home Theater and Magnolia Design Centers.
There’s a cluttered but powerful app for TiVo for your iPhone, iPad, or Android gadget. The company junked Flash.
The TiVo BOLT is born to binge, unifying the source of any available program from cable, video on demand, OTA, and OTT, while providing a way to watch without commercials. Even if a show is on hiatus, older episodes available on these services are offered up.
Other features include support for video in Ultra HD, or 4K, resolution when channels start offering that quality.
While the Bolt may be a metaphorical middle finger, there might have been a bit of handshaking going on because SkipMode won’t work on all recorded content.
Inside, TiVo has stuck with spinning disk drives, to keep the cost down, the commonly says. TiVo says it’s infrequent and will be fixed soon, but I ran into it and had to reboot the unit.
TiVo would like you to know that it doesn’t make DVRs anymore. Meanwhile, Amazon, Roku, Apple and even Comcast have gone to searching by voice.
I have owned a TiVo for years, and appreciate it. Despite the odd look of the Bolt, I found its new features attractive and reliable.
All the guts are better than on the last model, the Roamio: 3 times the memory, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac WiFi, the ability to stream video to other TiVos in the house using its built-in wiring, and so on. Because-get this-like Dish, TiVo has employees who watch these shows and manually tag every block of ads. And, eventually, all of it will be. Meanwhile, unless you’ve cut the cord, you’re going to want a few mix of cable and streaming services.