TiVo Bolt TV Box: Review, Specifications, Feedback

The popularity of TV set-top boxes capable of playing content in UHD quality has peaked. Electronics and home appliance manufacturers have rushed to bring their products to market. The niche of budget and mid-range devices has reached its limit. Therefore, brands have begun to gradually explore the premium class. An example is the TiVo Bolt TV box, which claims to dominate globally.

Advertising is advertising, but buyers should know a few things. It’s about the brand itself, which supposedly has American origins. At least, in the media and social networks, for some reason, a US flag is often present next to the set-top box.

From 1997 to 2016, the TiVo brand indeed belonged to Americans. But in 2016, the Chinese corporation Rovi bought the brand for $1.1 billion. And what kind of company is Rovi? It is a manufacturer of consumable components for electrical appliances used in automotive, construction, and medical industries. The factory manufacturer has little relation to electronics. Rovi promotes its products in Asian, African, European, and North American markets.

TiVo Bolt TV Box: Overview

The TV set-top box attracts with its unusual appearance. You definitely won’t pass by such a device. The elegant design with a curve is mesmerizing. Interestingly, this format not only adds exclusivity but also helps with cooling. The device’s assembly is excellent, with no flaws. At first glance, it seems like the case is made from a single cast.

Finding detailed information about the chip and software of the gadget proved to be a difficult task. The manufacturer deliberately does not share technical specifications with buyers. Well, it is known that TiVo uses its own Linux-based operating system. This might be good, as the TiVo Bolt TV box is constantly connected to the manufacturer’s servers and monitors the software operation. Functionally, the device somewhat resembles a NAS Synology.

In terms of hardware, there is an Ethernet interface: wired and wireless. Wired implementation – RJ-45 with a gigabit port. Wireless network Wi-Fi on 2 bands supporting IEEE 802.11ac. There are 2 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI 2.0a, SPDIF, AV, eSATA, and a coaxial cable input. A nice feature is the availability of different device modifications – with or without built-in HDD.

The price of the set-top box is proportional to its configuration.

TiVo Bolt TV Box: Technical Capabilities

The price of the set-top box hints at the user’s financial capacity. Firstly, it has all licenses for high-quality sound playback, including Dolby Atmos. Secondly, there are no restrictions on playing licensed IPTV channels. You may need to pay separately for each resource or use the seller’s offer to buy a general license for a set period.

Considering that the TiVo Bolt TV box is purchased for a 4K TV, it’s easy to guess that users will have no issues with UHD video playback. The manufacturer’s declared specifications are accurate. It supports HDR, 60FPS, voice control, and remote control implementation from mobile devices.

Overall impressions are only positive. If it weren’t for the price, one could confidently declare the emergence of a new king of TV boxes on the global market. But the TiVo Bolt TV box doesn’t cost that much (from $300 to $700 depending on the configuration). In terms of functionality, it’s better to buy Zidoo Z9S, Ugoos AM6 Plus, NVIDIA Shield TV PRO 2019, or Beelink GT-King. Although some models support external HDDs and satellite tuners (TiVo supports limited satellite equipment models), it is significantly cheaper for the same functionality.