TV box TiVo Bolt: review, specifications, reviews

The popularity of TV set-top boxes capable of playing content in UHD quality has reached a peak. Manufacturers of electronics and household appliances rushed to market their products. The niche of budget and middle-class devices has reached its limit. Therefore, brands began to slowly master the premium class. An example is the TiVo Bolt TV box, which claims to be world domination.

Advertising is advertising, but the buyer should know something. It's about the brand itself, which supposedly has an American origin. At least in the media and social networks, for some reason, the US flag is next to the prefix.

From 1997 to 2016, the TiVo brand really belonged to the Americans. But in 2016, the Chinese corporation Rovi bought the brand for 1.1 billion dollars. And what kind of company is this Rovi. It is a manufacturer of consumables for electrical appliances for the automotive, construction and medical sectors. The manufacturer has little relation to electronics. And Rovi products are marketed in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.

 

TV box TiVo Bolt: review

 

The set-top box for the TV captivates with its unusual appearance. By such a device, just do not pass by. The elegant design of the case with a bend is bewitching. And interestingly, this format adds not only exclusivity to technology. Thanks to the recess between the bottom of the cabinet and the surface of the table (or cabinet), the system cools perfectly. The assembly of the console is, of course, excellent. There is nothing to complain about. At the first acquaintance, it seems that the case is solid-cast.

Finding detailed information about the chip and software of the gadget turned out to be an unsolvable task. The manufacturer intentionally does not want to share technical specifications with customers. Anyway. It is well known that TiVo uses its own Linux-based operating system. Maybe this is good, since the TiVo Bolt TV box is constantly connected to the manufacturer’s servers and monitors the operation of the software. In terms of functionality, the console remotely resembles NAS Synology.

In terms of hardware, there is an Ethernet interface: wired and wireless. The wired implementation is RJ-45 with a gigabit port. 2-band Wi-Fi wireless network with IEEE 802,11ac support. Available 2 ports USB 2.0, HDMI 2.0a, SPDIF, AV, eSATA and input for coaxial cable. Of the pleasant moments - the presence of various modifications of the device - with and without built-in HDD storage.

The price of the console is proportional to the configuration.

	TiVo BOLT VOX 500 GB	TiVo BOLT VOX 1TB	TiVo BOLT VOX 3TB	TiVo BOLT OTA	TiVo Mini VOX
Tv source	Cable or hd antenna	cable only	cable only	HD antenna only	Dependent on TiVo DVR
Voice search enabled	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
4K Ultra High Definition	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Recording capacity	Up to 75 hours	Up to 150 hours	Up to 450 hours	Up to 150 hours	Dependent on TiVo DVR
Simultaneous recordings	4 shows	6 shows	6 shows	4 shows	Dependent on TiVo DVR
Multi-room compatibility with TiVo Mini	Ethernet or built-in MoCA	Ethernet or built-in MoCA	Ethernet or built-in MoCA	Ethernet or MoCA (MoCA requires TiVo Bridge, sold separately)	Ethernet or built-in MoCA
Access to streaming apps	Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and more	Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and more	Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and more	Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and more	Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and more
out-of-home streaming	✓	✓	✓	✓	N/A
TiVo service required	Monthly, annual or all-in service pricing options available	Monthly, annual or all-in service pricing options available	Monthly, annual or all-in service pricing options available	Monthly, annual or all-in service pricing options available	Service included at no additional charge

 

TV box TiVo Bolt: technical features

 

The price of the prefix hints to the buyer on the viability. Firstly, there are all licenses for reproducing high-quality sound on board. Even Dolby Atmos. Secondly, there are no restrictions with the reproduction of licensed IPTV channels. Unless you have to pay separately for each resource, or take advantage of the seller’s offer by purchasing a general license for a specified period.

Given that the TiVo Bolt TV box is purchased for a 4K TV, it is easy to guess that the user will not have problems playing UHD video. Declared by the manufacturer, the characteristics of the device are true. There are both HDR and 60FPS, voice control and remote control implementation from mobile devices.

In general, only positive impressions. If not for the price of the set-top box, it would be possible to affirmatively announce the appearance of a new king of TV boxes on the world market. Well, the TiVo Bolt TV box is not worth that kind of money (from $ 300 to $ 700, depending on the configuration). By functionality, it is better to buy Zidoo Z9S, Ugoos AM6 Plus, NVIDIA shield TV PRO 2019 or Beelink GT-King. Suppose the HDD is external in consoles and there is no satellite tuner (by the way, TiVo supports limited models of satellite equipment). But, much cheaper for the same functionality.