TiVo Bolt 1000 GB DVR: Digital Video Recorder and Streaming Media Player - 4K UHD Compatible - Works with Digital Cable or HD Antenna

This thing is incredible. The Over The Air shows look BETTER than the cable version of the same show. (we have both installed until cord gets cut on Monday). So we were able to view both feeds. I think this is because the OTA signals are not compressed.So you spend $250 bucks on TiVo once (plus the $15 bucks a month) or, in our case, spending $140 month with U-Verse. I am not sure I have felt better about cancelling something as I did when I cut that cord.Set it up for OTA: We used a Mohu Leaf amplified antenna. It brings in super clear pictures. The trick is to find out where the antennas in your area are and point it in that direction. Ours is high up in the attic. I used my compass on my cell phone to point to where the antenna's are. Mind blown. Crystal clear picture, even the kids noticed a difference. There is a web site that you can search for that will tell you exactly how far away you are from the broadcast antennas in your area and where to point your antenna. It will even tell you whether or not you need a passive antenna or an amplified one. VERY helpful. You can also record OTA shows.TiVo set up: It connects easily to the router via Ethernet (its not wireless). It took about an hour to get all the updates and the account activated. Adding Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Go and Pandora was a breeze.Remote: Peanut remote that is very intuitive. Controls the TV and the amp. Makes it to where we use only one remote.App: Awesome app. You can set up a OnePass for each show that will record whatever you want with your phone. Easy, cool UI and it works flawlessly. Love this feature, we love all the features.Bottom line: Save yourself a ton of dough, cut the cord and get one of these bad boys. There were so many shows on cable that were never watched and we won't be missing that $140 bill every month at all. $15 dollars vs $140, no brainer.

I returned my Tivo after failing to get it to work with WOW (Wide Open West) Cable Ultra service. This is despite both Tivo and WOW assuring me that the device is compatible with their service. Three technicians attempted to activate the Tivo using a Cablecard without success. Apparently the Tivo is only compatible with WOW 'standard' service, not Ultra, but no one at Tivo nor WOW knows that.Installation with the cable provider is probably the most frustrating part of getting a Tivo. The rest of the experience is mostly positive. The Tivo has a few killer features that I would pay to keep. My favorite was 'Wishlist', where you can enter a search term and the Tivo will record any future show that includes those key words. This is great since TV shows are advertised months before airing. I also enjoyed the 'Onepass' feature that records a series no matter when and where it airs. This is super convenient for shows that change time slots or if you by chance missed the original air time. I used the Amazon Firestick Tivo (Beta) on a second TV to access programming on the Tivo with good success. The picture has the slightest stutter, but that depends a lot on Wifi access point location and bitrate/speed. It is only really noticeable when watching a news ticker 'crawl' on a recorded news show. Otherwise the picture appeared smooth, clear and very colorful, and the app worked very well. It is advisable to always 'exit' the Tivo App instead of just clicking the Home button to avoid glitches logging in next time.The Bolt has 'Apps' for Netflix, Amazon Prime and some other providers that integrate into the search feature that worked well. There are some games, the ability to connect to your home PC for pictures and some other connected features that I didn't explore.The Tivo online portal replicates most of the functionality of the unit from your PC, phone or tablet. You can schedule upcoming shows and manage your OnePass list. Strangely it is not possible to setup a Wishlist from devices other than the Tivo unit which is an oversight.The remote control uses both Infrared (IR) and radio frequence (RF) which caused some problems at first because I would get lots of bouncing and skipping when using the remote. I found a key sequence that will switch to only RF mode (TiVo+Green D) which solved the problem.The other problem I was not able to resolve was that their support portal (My Support) did not work for me. I was able to post a tech ticket and it appeared on the list of issues, but no one would answer the ticket. Also there was no record of the original complaint that I could see, just a vague title. Fortunately their phone support is very good. The reps are super friendly and agreeable. Still it took me a while to figure out that my tickets were going nowhere.Tivo has a subscription requirement that includes a one-year agreement after the first 30 days. Be certain that you want to keep the Tivo or return it promptly to avoid being locked into the contract.The bottom line is that the Tivo is great if you love DVR. The video quality is excellent and the menus are easy to use. The IR/RF remote is a nice feature as some people still need the infrared.PROS: Nicely integrated guide, great picture, premium DVR experience with Netflix and Amazon players. Friendly customer service. Firestick Tivo App works great.CONS: Doesn't work with WOW Ultra cable TV. Misinformed customer service reps. Dysfunctional support portal. Cablecards are a mystery to most cable techs. Tivo interface hangs occasionally. Firestick Tivo App still in 'Beta' since 2015. How about an update?

I bought the Tivo Bolt 1000 to replace an old Tivo Premier. The tivo premier was very slow to respond with the on screen guide. It only could record 2 shows at once and filled up quick when recording HD quality. I have had the Tivo bolt for 2 months. It quit working. Four lights flash rapidly on front and all I see is a blank screen. I search for trouble shooting information but find it very difficult to find what I need on the Tivo website. I did find suggestions on unplug and restarting but all failed. I had to wait to the weekend to call Tivo customer service. Tivo boxes have only a 90 day parts and labor warranty. After 90 days only parts are covered for 1 year. Talking with tivo customer service, I explained my problem and steps I had taken so far. Since I had it plugged into a surge protector, I was asked plug directly into the outlet for one last test. Results were the same. Since I was only 60 days into the original warranty they are replacing it with a new one. I had to put a full price deposit to get it shipped right a way. I am supposed to get a refund when I sent the dead Tivo back. The over the phone process was very painless and I am happy with the service so far.I normally don't buy extended warranties. I did buy an extended service warranty on this through Amazon at the time of purchase. It extends my warranty full replacement for 2 yrs. Hopefully I do not have to test the warranty.The Tivo bolt was very quick to respond and has plenty of space for recording HD programs.It can record 4 shows at once which is great. I like the one button skip all commercial on popular shows. The only complaint I have so far is when I set up a One Pass for a program I want to watch. It is recording repeat shows when I have record new shows only selected. Have not figured that issue out yet.I bought the one year service from Tivo instead of the monthly. I am happy with the service. The only thing I would like to change is my cable/interet service but since Xfinity (comcast) has a monopoly in my area I am not able to do that yet.