TiVo BOLT OTA for cord-cutters
September 27, 2018
Entertainment technology and audience insights specialist TiVo has unveiled TiVo BOLT OTA for antenna, a premium, 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) capable set-top box designed to work with HD antennae, equipped with an on-screen user experience that TiVo says looks and feels like a high-end cable box, suggesting it’s a “premium TV experience without the premium price”.
TiVo BOLT OTA is an all-in-one home entertainment product that seamlessly combines the features of TiVo’s most powerful DVR with the most popular online streaming services. BOLT OTA works with almost any HD antenna and television, enabling consumers to freely watch or record local TV programming, national news, sports and entertainment in HD using an antenna (sold separately), but without the cost of renting equipment from a pay-TV provider. Consumers enjoy this powerful experience using a single, integrated device and with TiVo’s award-winning voice controlled remote.
“TiVo BOLT OTA is the perfect solution for a broad range of TV enthusiasts, including those considering cutting their cable TV subscription or those who might have cut the cord but are missing some programmes that are only available via live TV,” said Ted Malone, vice president of consumer products and services, TiVo. “We’ve seen growing demand for our over-the-air products, and BOLT OTA is a major upgrade that will continue to keep TiVo at the forefront of the market.”
TiVo’s research team estimates that cord cutter ‘intenders’, people who are thinking about cutting the pay-TV cord for budgetary reasons, are estimated to represent 25 per cent of the general pay-TV viewing population. According to TiVo, BOLT OTA represents the ideal solution for these customers who are looking to save money but are concerned they may lose important programming or be stuck with complicated app solutions that are hard for everyone in the household to use.
According to TiVo, cord cutter ‘regretters’ have already moved to using only Internet TV services, including streaming apps, but are now rethinking their decision based on missing programming choices and inferior viewing experiences. BOLT OTA helps these customers regain a premium TV experience without needing to re-subscribe to a pay-TV service that charges them for channels they don’t want, or requires them to rent set-top boxes.
TiVo BOLT OTA allows consumers to record and watch free, over-the-air HD TV on their schedule. TiVo’s DVR includes four (4) tuners to avoid recording conflicts and stores up to 150 hours of HD programming, so viewers will never miss a moment of their favourite programs. They can use SkipMode to skip entire commercial breaks on recorded programmes with a single button press, and use voice commands to quickly find what they’re looking for with TiVo VOX Remote. They can seamlessly search and discover quality shows, skip ads and gain access to the most relevant TV recommendations.
TiVo BOLT OTA combines OTT and OTA, giving consumers seamless access on one user interface to top streaming apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, as well as commercial free HDTV programming. TiVo will search across live TV, recordings and popular streaming services to deliver personalised results. Plus, they can stream and download shows to their mobile devices, watch their favorite content on-the-go, or schedule recordings almost anywhere with the free TiVo app or add a TiVo Mini for a multi-room, whole-home TV solution.
The TiVo BOLT OTA costs $249.99 (€214.05) and has a monthly service fee of $6.99 or annual fee of $69.99. TiVo BOLT OTA will be available beginning September 28th, 2018.