TiVo has been around since the dawn of the DVR. The company is still kicking—and now they are fighting their way back to the top of the category as well.
The company just debuted the 4K TiVo Bolt, a brand-new box that promises to get “viewers to and through their content faster than ever.” That’s because the TiVo Bolt has an interesting feature that can skip over entire commercial breaks on recorded TV shows with the push of one button.
This new perk is called SkipMode. Unlike DISH Network’s commercial-skipping AutoHop, SkipMode does require your involvement. (And like the AutoHop, it’s not available for all recorded shows.)
Even more important, this new TiVo is a 4K TiVo. Like the recently announced Amazon Fire TV, this box will allow you to stream all sorts of 4K content from Netflix and YouTube. It also has HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 support.
There’s also something called QuickMode, which boasts 30-percent faster viewing of recorded shows. Confused? Think about shows that seem to drag, such as the news, sports and super-lengthy awards shows. This option can cut the crap and save a bit of time—all with pitch-corrected audio.
Like every TiVo box, the Bolt does feature universal search and consumption across all of your channels, as well as streaming providers. It works with cable, video on demand, OTA (over the air), and OTT (over the top) content. Other features include a new design and color, TiVo’s OnePass, TiVo Collections, and more.
TiVo also plans to add new personalization features to the Bolt in the coming months. This will include a “What to Watch” screen, options for sharing favorites with friends and family, and a new way to create OnePass selections using TiVo Online with OnePass Quick Select.
“Bolt was designed to meet the requirements of a new generation of TV viewers,” said Ira Bahr, TiVo’s chief marketing and retail sales officer. “Smaller form factor, 4K compatibility, single-screen integration of cable or over-the-air, plus streaming apps, the ability to take your content anywhere—and for the first time, the ability to precisely jump commercial breaks at the touch of a button.”
The TiVo Bolt is available now at TiVo.com, BestBuy.com and Amazon.com, with stores getting the goods starting October 4. A 500GB 4K TiVo Bolt is listed with an MSRP of $299.99, with the 1TB 4K TiVo Bolt box going for an extra $100. Each purchase includes the first year of service. After that, expect to pay $149.99 per year.
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