New TiVo Bolt OTA

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PBS. PBS is 80% of what my TiVo records. Also, local transport controls for CBS and NBC that are chock full of ads and promos.

 

At least for the PS Vue streaming service (and likely others) there are various restrictions that prevent some of live OTA channels from being streamed. In one example (I know there have been at least three in the last year) of this, my daughter could NOT view the Ms America pageant over PS-Vue. When they tuned that channel on Vue, they just got a blank screen with a message saying that due to licensing restrictions this show could not be viewed. My son complains about the delay when watching sports when he hears the neighbors scream in excitement before they even get to see what happened. Sports for me had poor quality as well due to the way they compress/encode the video.

So... IMO, streaming OTA channels is not a good replacement for a real OTA reception.

 

OTA programming OTA is FREE... simple as that. All you need is an antenna and signal.

As hard as it may be for some to accept ,some cord cutters don't want to stream so let's leave that out for now.

For many then the problem to solve becomes how do I record conveniently at reasonable cost.

Of the options available the TiVo Roamio OTA and now Bolt OTA are excellent options.
The hardware is reliable. The user interface is EZ to learn, setting aside the Hydra debate.
As long as the guide is accurate you may never have to contact support.

$399 for a Roamio OTA is easily amortized in a couple/few years if you've left cable but the Bolt OTA @ $500 is a larger investment.

If you haven't left cable then all the OTA DVR options are costly and have to be justified. Some options are more complicated than TiVo. Most OTA DVR products serve only one TV.

My experience is that even with TiVo's four tuners I have recording conflicts and miss recording some programs I want to record and that is a compromise I choose to accept.

 

This is exactly my thought as well. The thing I hate most about streaming is the poor way that REW/FF is handled. Each service does it differently, most are awful, and some are bordering on unusable. And, of course, streaming often has unskippable commercials. The ease of REW/FF with Tivo is a major reason why I have it, and also one reason I'm reluctant to try an IP OTA device. Even if an IP device would have more functionality, I assume the REW/FF functions I use so much would be clunky.

 

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But the $500 for the Bolt OTA includes lifetime service. If you keep it for more than three years you're better off than paying monthly.

 

My only real comp!ain't with the Bolt OTA is the capacity and the higher lifetime price than what I previously paid. With my Roamios it was easy and inexpensive to stick a 3TB hard drive in them. I have one refrurb lifetime Roaamio OTA I paid $200 for and one refurb lifeime Roamio Basic I paid $300 for. I put an inexpensive 3TB drive in each of them and gave them to my GF since she only uses OTA. And for myself I still have a Roamio Basic I got in 2013 that has a $6.95 a month suppcription that I use for OTA.

I would definitely get a Bolt OTA to replace it if I could cheaply put a 3TB drive in there. But I can't. And the smaller size would be nice because my OTA TiVo is the one I take back and forth to my GFs house for use to watch shows on.

As far as reception at my location. I know the Bolt can get the same channels the Roamio can which could get the same channels the Premiere got which could get the same channels the Series 3 got.

 

Agreed, "better off than paying monthly", but not better than paying $399 for a Roamio OTA with lifetime.

Again, if the user is leaving cable or DBS then the money saved amortizes the cost of an OTA DVR, but if the user is already an OTA viewer $399 or $500 is a big chunk to swallow to be able to record FREE programming.

Being in a suburb the better tuning ability in the Roamio OTA is important. I don't think the Bolt OTA will get me as many channels and costs more than the Roamio OTA.

Not all of us have the newest cell phones with unlimited service. Some of us choose to continue to have land lines.
For some cost is a big consideration while some pay for what they want without thinking.

 

The price and relative availability has gone up and down over time, but the often-recommended Toshiba 3TB 2.5" replacement drive still is available. E.g. Toshiba MQ03ABB300 3.0TB 2.5-inch 15.0mm SATA... at MacSales.com

 

I looked into a land line when I started my plan to cut the cord (we have our phones through Spectrum). $70/mo.

 

And likewise, the Toshiba drive in the 2TB version, at less cost. BRAND NEW WITH WARRANTY(MQ03ABB200) Toshiba 2TB 5400RPM SATA 2.5" Internal Drive 4058154047279 | eBay

 

Bumping this thread so hopefully TiVo_Ted or others can reply. Looking to see what can be done for us earlier BOLT adopters who paid -more- to buy a 500GB original BOLT for our strictly OTA needs. We paid more for the original device and continue to regularly pay more for monthly service. Instead of paying my current $149.99/yr, can I switch to $69.99/yr service? I just get local channels and don't use guide service for anything from cable.

Seems silly to have to ditch the current (perfectly fine) BOLT device to pay even more $$ to get this latest one with the lower subscription rate.

Three years after my original purchase, with the advent of Amazon and other solutions, Tivo looks less compelling as I contemplate whether to renew my $149.99 annual service in October or not... I did cut the cord to save $$, after all... Hmmm...

Any word on what Tivo may do for us?

 

Was paying close to $200 a month for Comcrap cable, Comcrap phone, and Comcrap broadband.

I now pay $90 a month for landline with unlimited long distance and hi speed DSL from Centurylink

I offset the $399 cost of my Roamio OTA with lifetime in FOUR months by bailing on Comcast.
Every month after that I save $100 by watching and recording OTA on my TiVo .

I have phone, free long distance, broadband, and TV with DVR.

So far I'm about $3200 ahead since cutting the cord. Now that's return on investment.

 

I watch some PBS and for you an OTA dvr would be fine but for the vast majority of TV watchers I think my point is valid. Still might get one though

 

Reviews on Amazon are not kind to this particular drive: https://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-5400RPM-SATA-External-Storage/dp/B017O266UE

 

A bit discouraging there. But that doesn't seem to track the experience of posters here, where the drive seemed to become the replacement drive of choice. Also, there may be something of an Amazon listings issue going on--the current product listing, with only 11 reviews, is not the original listing for the drive, which had, if I recall correctly, a much greater number of reviews, the majority of them very positive.

 

Do people really still have cellphones without unlimited calling plans (at least nationwide) nowadays?

I understand many not having unlimited data of course, but not unlimited calling?

And by "landline" service, I take that as meaning modern VoIP solutions and not including traditional POTS.

As POTS is rapidly becoming more expensive and financially impractical due to increasing obsolescence.



Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk

 

I haven't seen anyone cutting down the millions of miles of copper on those telephone poles.

In my case traditional POTS or what we old timers call "tip and ring".

Living in a suburb I have to know I'll have a dial tone in an emergency or a power failure.

I get a discount on DSL and price lock as long as I don't change my service if I have POTS .

 

If you pad OTA, you can eat four tuners in no time at all. Abc is notorious for slight overruns.

 

Exactly right and that means recording conflicts... even with four tuners.

 

Been awhile and excuse me for asking something that may have been addressed, but this seemed a decent thread to ask this question.

And that’s.. Cord Cutters, from where are you getting your internet service? I’ve Xfinity at home and I consider myself quite tech savvy but I can’t seem to justify things. The cost to add TV service, including a premium channel, to my internet service was something like $15 if I remember correctly.

My channel list includes the basics in news and entertainment including many of the apps I would be using if streaming the content, so I haven’t been able to shake them loose so to speak. Am I missing something?