TiVo is a household name that feels increasingly obsolete. In a world where thousands of movies and TV shows are available to stream on-demand, where live
TiVo is a household name that feels increasingly obsolete. In a world where thousands of movies and TV shows are available to stream on-demand, where live television is available over the Internet, and where DVRs exist in the cloud, one is justified in questioning whether any physical DVR can serve a purpose for modern consumers. With TiVo’s Bolt OTA 4K, the answer is yes.
As its name suggests, the TiVo Bolt OTA is a version of the TiVo Bolt DVR that supports over-the-air television. This is a key aspect of the device, making it appealing to cord-cutters and younger customers who may otherwise be content with smart TVs, smartphone apps, and streaming subscriptions.
The design is akin to the regular TiVo Bolt model, sporting the same rectangular body and frustrating curve, the latter of which makes its placement tricky in certain home entertainment setups.
This model features a 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet port, HDMI 2.0, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, Audio L/R, optical audio out, coax for antenna/cable, and an eSATA port. As well, the device has a built-in remote finder button for locating the remote control. The included 1TB hard drive can store up to 150 hours of HD content, according to TiVo, and users can add more external storage if needed.
The TiVo Bolt OTA’s interface is, compared to content-packed offerings like Fire TV, relatively simplistic and easy to navigate. The home screen presents live content from over-the-air channels. Users can navigate horizontally across the UI to access favorite shows and streaming apps for on-demand content.
Those app offerings are slimmer than many cord-cutters are used to, being limited to around 20 services, including big ones like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video. Of note, the TiVo Bolt supports the Plex app, which is a key component in many cord-cutters’ entertainment setups. With this inclusion, users can access their local media server and stream video files located on a NAS unit or external drive.
Due to the slim number of app offerings, TiVo’s Bolt OTA primarily revolves around over-the-air content and casual cord-cutters who spend most of their time streaming have better options in other products. When it comes to OTA content, though, the Bolt OTA does its job well, streamlining the recording process, simplifying content management, and offering ample storage space for files.
Setting up the device for the first time is simple; the software guides users through the process, requiring only a few clicks after the antenna has been connected.
