TiVo Bolt Review; Is TiVo Still Relevant In An Age of Content Streaming?

By Mark Rollins
TiVo Bolt
The TiVo Bolt: A Television Revolution in an oddly-shaped box.

Some people are not old enough to remember when if you wanted to record a show, you did it on a VCR.  Yes, I remember trying to hit a bunch of buttons in order to set a clock and a channel, and it got really complicated if you had cable.  Seriously, this is how we taped things on VHS in the eighties and nineties, and it wasn't until TiVo came around when that changed.  We now have a way to record our shows digitally, and we can even set it up on a channel menu so setting up a recording is very instinctive.  However, now that we live in an age of Hulu, Netflix, and streaming video, we have to ask ourselves whether or not TiVo is still relevant.  Thanks to the TiVo Bolt that we just reviewed for review, TiVo truly is quite relevant.   

TiVo Bolt is set up so the user can record a television program from pretty much anywhere.  It has what is called OnePass, which gives the user access to any available episode of a TV show, whether it is on OnDemand, streaming apps, or regular TV.  For example, I tried this out on The Big Bang Theory, and I found that it was set up to record pretty much anything on The Big Bang Theory on any station that it could find.  I wonder how long if I would have to record the reruns and the current season before I would have the entire show?  Well, I only have 1000 GB, so I am not certain if it would all fit. 

Yes, this is the TiVo life, and I have to admit that I never owned one before this time, but I certainly have a new habit of setting up recording and watching it afterwards.  The best thing about it is not only can I watch a show on the TV, but while I am recording.  But all TiVos can do that since they first came out, but I just like watching it on the application on my smartphone and on my computer.  Most people have turned to computers for television, but TiVo is acknowledging it by making a device that works with it, not beside it. 

I should probably take a moment to talk about other features like Skip Mode.  Certain shows that you watch allow for skipping the commercials entirely at the touch of a button.  I would have to say that when I stream shows on Hulu or the network's website, I still have to watch commercials.  The only thing better is Netflix, and I can get Netflix on my TiVo Bolt.  Another feature worth talking about is QuickMode, which allows for watching shows 30 percent faster, and it is good for sports, news, and political addresses. 

So, is TiVo still relevant?  Many would say no, as it is time to "cut the cord" when it comes to traditional cable.  However, after my experience with the TiVo Bolt, it is just easier to watch current television on it by speeding through commercials and its more convenient.  In other words, instead of cutting the cord for cable, get connected to TiVo Bolt.

You can read a technical review here, and find out more information about the product on the TiVo site.  

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