In the US TiVo has introduced the hybrid set-top box TiVo Bolt OTA for DTT and OTT featuring 4K UltraHD.
TiVo Bolt OTA is an all-in-one home entertainment product that combines the features of TiVo’s PVR with online streaming services. Bolt OTA receives free-to-air digital terrestrial TV, as well as streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, and is aimed at cord-cutters.
“TiVo Bolt OTA is the perfect solution for a broad range of TV enthusiasts, including those considering cutting their cable TV subscription or those who might have cut the cord but are missing some programmes that are only available via live TV,” said Ted Malone, VP of consumer products and services, TiVo.
“We’ve seen growing demand for our over-the-air products, and Bolt OTA is a major upgrade that will continue to keep TiVo at the forefront of the market.”
TiVo’s research team estimates that cord cutter intenders, people who are thinking about cutting the pay-TV cord for budgetary reasons, are estimated to represent 25 percent of the general pay-TV viewing population.
Cord cutter regretters have already moved to using only internet TV services, including streaming apps, but are now rethinking their decision based on missing programming choices and inferior viewing experiences. Bolt OTA helps these customers regain a premium TV experience without needing to re-subscribe to a pay-TV service that charges them for channels they don’t want, or requires them to rent set-top boxes.
TiVo Bolt OTA allows consumers to record and watch free, over-the-air HD TV on their schedule. TiVo’s PVR includes four tuners to avoid recording conflicts and stores up to 150 hours of HD programming. They can use SkipMode to skip entire commercial breaks on recorded programmes with a single button press, and use voice commands to quickly find what they’re looking for with TiVo VOX Remote. They can seamlessly search and discover quality shows, skip ads and gain access to the most relevant TV recommendations.
TiVo will search across live TV, recordings and popular streaming services to deliver personalised results. Plus, viewers can stream and download shows to their mobile devices, watch their favorite content on-the-go, or schedule recordings almost anywhere with the free TiVo app or add a TiVo Mini for a multi-room, whole-home TV solution.
The TiVo Bolt OTA costs $249.99 and has a monthly service fee of $6.99 or annual fee of $69.99. TiVo Bolt OTA will be available beginning September 28, 2018.
