TiVo just announced a brand-new powerhouse set-top box that will appeal to cord cutters and cable subscribers alike. During the CEDIA expo in Dallas on Monday, TiVo introduced the Bolt+, which will go on sale on Thursday, September 15 for $500.
The new set-top box has six tuners for recording multiple shows at one time—a crucial feature for anyone looking to create multiroom setups. To hold all those multiple broadcast streams the device comes with a 3TB hard drive. TiVo says the hard drive will hold around 450 hours of HD recordings.
The Bolt+ also comes with 4K support just like the initial Bolt that we took a look at last fall. Similar to its predecessor, the Bolt+ comes with SkipMode for jumping past commercial breaks on select shows, and QuickMode that lets you watch shows at 1.3x speed with pitch-corrected audio. Corrected audio is key since the last thing you want to do is have to endure your favorite show in “Chipmunk mode.”
The usual niceties you’d expect in such a TiVo box are also there including OnePass to create “universal watch lists” for your favorite shows across cable and online streaming services. OneSearch for finding content on broadcast and Internet channels, as well as a built-in Plex support for the DVD-ripping crowd.
As for the box itself, it measures 11.4-inches wide, 1.8-inches high, and 7.3-inches deep. It also has the same bent shape as the original, which is supposed to help with cooling. The Bolt+ features 3GB RAM, HDMI 2.0 out, 3D passthrough capability, 802.11ac/n (2×2), Wi-Fi, ethernet, and an expandable eSATA slot for an additional 1TB (maximum) of storage.
The story behind the story: TiVo isn’t standing still while the cord-cutting revolution rages all around it. The company’s boxes have adapted to the times by integrating online music and video streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Spotify, YouTube, and others. Tivo also offers remote viewing support on its Android and iOS apps, and works with Plex for those who still store their own content. If cord-cutting and streaming ever do render the cable companies irrelevant, with boxes like the Bolt+ TiVo aims to remain useful for hardcore TV fans.