# Cable and OTA together ??



## LouB (Jan 8, 2009)

Hi all,

I have been a TiVo user since early beta and have recently relocated to WNC.

We have really one choice for cable and broadband and that is Morris and they are going to kill me price wise for Broadband (500/20 for $150) and family cable at $80 !!

I need the broadband for work but wondering if I can go OTA and cancel the TV portion and maybe replace the HGTV and History channel with apps etc.

For a test period can I run OTA and CableCard on the Bolt or is it setup for one over the other.

This will be a new install I will be doing with a Bolt Vox and two new minis... 

Thanks


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

LouB said:


> For a test period can I run OTA and CableCard on the Bolt or is it setup for one over the other.
> 
> This will be a new install I will be doing with a Bolt Vox and two new minis...


With any OTA-capable TiVo newer than the 2-tuner Premiere it is definitely one or the other, cable or OTA, as configured during Guided Setup; and you'd want to make sure that the DVR you purchase is capable of both, as some models are CableCARD-only.

Legend:

6 tuners means CableCARD-only
"OTA" in product name means OTA-only (with an aftermarket exception)
4 tuner Roamio and BOLT units are capable of either OTA or CableCARD, excepting "OTA" boxes
Note that as a new customer, you'll be paying a premium to have a box capable of both OTA and cable; plus, reports seem to indicate that the OTA-only Roamio and BOLT boxes may have better OTA tuners than those in the combo BOLT boxes.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

LouB said:


> I need the broadband for work but wondering if I can go OTA and cancel the TV portion and maybe replace the HGTV and History channel with apps etc.


I believe that you'll need another device, other than a TiVo, to have access to HGTV and History channels via streaming.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

krkaufman said:


> I believe that you'll need another device, other than a TiVo, to have access to HGTV and History channels via streaming.


Both are on a Roku but require a cable company account.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

JoeKustra said:


> Both are on a Roku but require a cable company account.


To authorize their standalone apps, yes. But, alternatively, you can get them via a streaming service like DirectTV Now or Playstation Vue. The cheapest for just those two channels (plus a bunch more) might be Philo, @ $16/month.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

wmcbrine said:


> The cheapest for just those two channels (plus a bunch more) might be Philo, @ $16/month.


... plus the cost of a device that supports the associated streaming app.

p.s. Has anyone ever tried a campaign to target a given streaming service to petition they support the TiVo platform?


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## LouB (Jan 8, 2009)

Thanks all, I haven’t run setup in at least 4 years !!

I have a 4 Turner Bolt Vox in the box, with new minis.

I have new LG TVs which can do Hulu etc..

Hmmm... need to figure out a good way to test OTA


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

LouB said:


> Hmmm... need to figure out a good way to test OTA


Connect the coax to your TV and run a channel scan.


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## BobCamp1 (May 15, 2002)

JoeKustra said:


> Connect the coax to your TV and run a channel scan.


Then take the number of channels you receive, divide it by two, and that's how many your Tivo will pick up. If using a Tivo Bolt, divide by three instead.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

BobCamp1 said:


> Then take the number of channels you receive, divide it by two, and that's how many your Tivo will pick up. If using a Tivo Bolt, divide by three instead.


OP, this is sarcasm ... but not without merit, though the simple math doesn't apply. It really depends on the signal strength for each channel; your BOLT may pick up all the same channels as your TV or no channels at all, but you should expect the BOLT to have less pick-up than the TV, for a number of reasons.



LouB said:


> I have a 4 Turner Bolt Vox in the box,




krkaufman said:


> Note that as a new customer, you'll be paying a premium to have a box capable of both OTA and cable; plus, reports seem to indicate that the OTA-only Roamio and BOLT boxes may have better OTA tuners than those in the combo BOLT boxes.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

It seems that my TVs (Samsung LED, Quasar tube (!)) and TiVo boxes (Roamio, Bolt) receive the same channels over OTA and have the same issues with specific channels.


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