[NashGuy]

My recommendation for those of you struggling with YTTV on a TS4K: buy the $20 Onn UHD Android TV box from Walmart. It has a nice Google-designed remote with a live TV button that takes you right into the YTTV app as well as channel up/down buttons for surfing in YTTV and certain other channel-based apps (e.g. Live Channels). I set up a friend as well as my parents with this box specifically for use with YTTV (as well as whatever other apps they might use) and they're pleased with it. I used the box quite a bit myself, and have also spent quite a bit of time using Google's own Chromecast with Google TV. The Onn box is actually a bit snappier and less buggy. (Well, it was buggy when it was first released but Walmart has been surprisingly good about issuing updates that have fixed bugs and optimized performance.) The Onn box uses the new-look Android TV 10 home screen with the Discover tab that has the same Google-driven recommendations and cross-app Watchlist that are featured in the new Google TV UI.

Having used YTTV quite a bit on the Onn box while visiting my parents over Christmas, I found no bugs. The app ran great.

Only real drawbacks for this device is that it can't do Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos (although it can do HDR10, HDR10+ and regular Dolby 5.1 surround sound). Also, it does not have an ethernet port but does have wifi 5 (AC). Has a single port -- micro-USB -- for power but you can plug in an ethernet adapter there. I've read that the Amazon Fire TV Ethernet Adapter ($14) works just fine with it (among various other brands of adapters). Has the same 8 GB storage with 2 GB RAM that the TS4K has. But I just don't read Onn users having the ongoing string of problems that TS4K owners have had.

 

[NashGuy]

Thanks for tip. Sounds like a nice device. I have several streaming devices, and I find myself using the TiVo more than the others because of the channel up/down button. Nice to know there is another device that has that feature.

The Onn UHD box is my default recommendation for anyone switching to YTTV given its combination of price, performance and features. I'm sure the Nvidia Shield TV and the Apple TV 4K (the latter of which I use) offer better overall user experiences but they cost a ton more. Of course, folks wedded to the Roku or Fire TV UIs will want to stick with those platforms, although neither offers a device with specs comparable to the Onn for such a low price.

 

[NashGuy]

Newbie to this sub-forum and I hope that someone here has the answer: is it possible to make use of the TiVo DVR capability when streaming You Tube TV (via the app on the TiVo Bolt) or is the only recording capability via the You Tube TV DVR? Thanks for any information!

No, Tivo DVRs such as the Bolt and Edge are completely separate from and have nothing to do with the online cloud DVR feature in YouTube TV.