# Bolt with old tv?



## kjepson (Jul 17, 2016)

Would an AV DAC converting hdmi to rca allow a bolt to work fine with an old tube television? Or is a modern tv pretty much required?


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

I believe you can use a breakout cable that plugs into the audio L/R jack on the back of bolt.

https://www.tivo.com/shop/detail/av-cable


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

worachj said:


> I believe you can use a breakout cable that plugs into the audio L/R jack on the back of bolt.
> 
> https://www.tivo.com/shop/detail/av-cable


Unfortunately the BOLT appears to be HDMI-only for video output, per page 82 of the BOLT Viewer's Guide (PDF). The mini jack on the back of the BOLT is for analog stereo audio only.

.


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

krkaufman said:


> Unfortunately the BOLT appears to be HDMI-only for video output, per page 82 of the BOLT Viewer's Guide (PDF). The mini jack on the back of the BOLT is for analog stereo audio only.
> 
> .


Yep, you're right no video, just audio. The breakout cable with video works for my Roamio Basic, but not the bolt.


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## mstrumpf (Jul 29, 2010)

My question would be, why buy a Bolt if you don't have an HD TV. If you plan on using it with a tube television, buy a used Premier, that already has lifetime. It would be a lot cheaper, you'd have no need to conversion boxes, and it can still do HD when you update. Also, the Premier software is still mostly up to date. If you want current look at a Roamio.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

You can buy an HDMI to component adapter. Some tube sets have component inputs.

I agree with pp. Replace your TV if you want to use a Bolt


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## kjepson (Jul 17, 2016)

Thanks everyone for the informative comments!

@mstrumpf - Very interesting idea considering the lifetime aspect.

@lew - Yeah, I plan on getting a modern tv here within a few months or so; my current set does have component, so thanks for that bit also.

Hmmm - now considering Premier -vs- Bolt with Component adapter -vs- waiting until I get the new tv.

I just got a Roku 1, which gets us by for now, but I could also return it still and apply the $30 to a TiVo scenario. 

Our COA dues includes basic cable from Comcast, but they want to rent us a box so we can access the channels. Not going for that, but figured with a TiVo, I could install an mcard and access channels that way. However, even the access to Amazon video and Netflix via Roku has made our old tv suddenly useful. It might be enough just to keep on with that.

We haven't actually had a television signal per se in over a decade, and usually either watch DVDs or more likely other video on an iPad or notebook, so I'm just exploring options for the next play.

Not sure I'll find much worth in cable channels anyway, and I definitely shy away from monthly tv bills, TiVo or otherwise, but TiVo might make it all seem worthwhile collectively 


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## emuman100 (Jul 3, 2003)

mstrumpf said:


> My question would be, why buy a Bolt if you don't have an HD TV.





lew said:


> I agree with pp. Replace your TV if you want to use a Bolt


Why should I have to? If I like my older TV, and it still works, why do I have to buy a newer one with crappy video scalar? If I go to Tivo, they'll only ever sell me a Bolt. I have a Tivo HD that I had to stop service on in 2014. Last year, I try to reactivate it, but they tell me they are not allowed to because they want to phase out Tivo HD's. Yet, active monthly subs and lifetime service Tivo HD's are happily chugging along.

So now, to get Tivo service back, I need to buy a whole new Tivo unit and at minimum, an HDMI to S-Video converter (Tivo HD has S-Video out) or a new TV, just so I can use Tivo service again. What a pile of crap. Good HDMI to S-Video converters cost at least $150 minimum (Good ones that produce the same video quality as my Tivo HD).


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

HDMI has been around at least 14 years now. There should be no expectation of old analog ports on devices in 2018.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

emuman100 said:


> Why should I have to? If I like my older TV, and it still works, why do I have to buy a newer one with crappy video scalar? If I go to Tivo, they'll only ever sell me a Bolt. I have a Tivo HD that I had to stop service on in 2014. Last year, I try to reactivate it, but they tell me they are not allowed to because they want to phase out Tivo HD's. Yet, active monthly subs and lifetime service Tivo HD's are happily chugging along.
> 
> So now, to get Tivo service back, I need to buy a whole new Tivo unit and at minimum, an HDMI to S-Video converter (Tivo HD has S-Video out) or a new TV, just so I can use Tivo service again. What a pile of crap. Good HDMI to S-Video converters cost at least $150 minimum (Good ones that produce the same video quality as my Tivo HD).


S-video is limited to 480i isn't it? I don't see how this could compare to higher HD resolutions with HDMI on a newer TV no matter how good the video scaler is on your old TV. Are you only receiving/watching SD channels?

You can always pick up an HD with lifetime cheap these days on ebay if you really want to stick with with S-video. I'd recommend pre-emptively replacing the capacitors in the power supply (~$10) and installing a new hard drive in which case it should continue to give you pretty reliable service.

Scott


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

emuman100 said:


> So now, to get Tivo service back, I need to buy a whole new Tivo unit and at minimum, an HDMI to S-Video converter (Tivo HD has S-Video out) or a new TV, just so I can use Tivo service again. What a pile of crap. Good HDMI to S-Video converters cost at least $150 minimum (Good ones that produce the same video quality as my Tivo HD).


Sounds like you are making a good argument to either not get a tivo or to start saving for a tv that will allow you to join current technology. Are you just as po'd at Amazon for their fire stick or google for chromecast? Time to step it up or just stick with old tech until it has nothing to view except garage sale VHS tapes.


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## emuman100 (Jul 3, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> HDMI has been around at least 14 years now. There should be no expectation of old analog ports on devices in 2018.


S-Video has been around for over 40 years and composite video has been around since the introduction of color television. If I'm forced to buy a new Tivo to have DVR service, there should be no expectation that I should have to buy a new TV or a converter. I'm not the one making the decision to stop activating Tivo HDs. Tivo is. I have a perfectly good DVR, and just because they can't use it the way they want to peddle crapware my way like they do with the Bolt shouldn't mean I should have to buy a new Tivo and a new TV so they can.



jrtroo said:


> Sounds like you are making a good argument to either not get a tivo or to start saving for a tv that will allow you to join current technology. Are you just as po'd at Amazon for their fire stick or google for chromecast? Time to step it up or just stick with old tech until it has nothing to view except garage sale VHS tapes.


It has nothing to do with "current technology". Even with the latest and greatest "current technology", LCD displays still cannot produce the picture quality of a CRT. The resolution may be much higher on an LCD and the picture may be brighter, but the picture quality is still not the same. What's worse, the video scalar built in to scale the video signal to the native resolution of the LCD is often of poor quality, especially in the lower cost TV's. Professional video scalars can cost $3k or more and look really good. Instead of dealing with that, I'd rather stick with a good CRT, which I already have, and still use a good DVR, which I also already have, but Tivo won't allow me to do it. And as for Firestick or Chromecast, I'll start using those when I don't have to root them to use them.



HerronScott said:


> S-video is limited to 480i isn't it? I don't see how this could compare to higher HD resolutions with HDMI on a newer TV no matter how good the video scaler is on your old TV. Are you only receiving/watching SD channels?
> 
> You can always pick up an HD with lifetime cheap these days on ebay if you really want to stick with with S-video. I'd recommend pre-emptively replacing the capacitors in the power supply (~$10) and installing a new hard drive in which case it should continue to give you pretty reliable service.
> 
> Scott


Scott, I have SD and HD channels in my cable package. S-Video is limited to 480i because there isn't enough chroma bandwidth. You can do progressive modes without the chroma channel. CRT's still produce a superior picture quality to even the best LCD (despite the LCD being at a much higher resolution). Since I watch the HD versions of channels mostly, the scalar inside the Tivo HD does a really nice job. I know you can buy lifetime Tivo HDs , but a fear the day that Tivo stops transferring lifetime units. With an bigger hard drive and a recapped power supply, you can get a really nice Tivo with good software.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Well, then you can probably find great deals buying old TVs it you are so passionate about them. But, you can't be too surprised that technology will move on and not support every prior standard. That's simply unrealistic, though you are free to live in the past if that is what you prefer.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I'm glad I started dumping analog connections thirteen years ago. I couldn't imagine going back to using svideo again. That is a huge step backwards. All digital connections have easily been much better in my use.

I'll take my DLP and LCD TVs any day over a CRT TV. I dumped my CRT projection TV in 2005 after I got my first 1080P TV. The first Samsung 1080P DLP RP set.


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## rdrrepair (Nov 24, 2006)

You could purchase a mini and use the breakout cables on your older tv set with the Bolt.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

emuman100 said:


> Scott, I have SD and HD channels in my cable package. S-Video is limited to 480i because there isn't enough chroma bandwidth. You can do progressive modes without the chroma channel. CRT's still produce a superior picture quality to even the best LCD (despite the LCD being at a much higher resolution). Since I watch the HD versions of channels mostly, the scalar inside the Tivo HD does a really nice job. I know you can buy lifetime Tivo HDs , but a fear the day that Tivo stops transferring lifetime units. With an bigger hard drive and a recapped power supply, you can get a really nice Tivo with good software.


I have to agree with jrtroo's sentiments above. You are using older CRT technology and you can't expect current video devices to continue to support the interface that you want that's not in use on current TV's. Can you still buy a new CRT TV of any reasonable size (our old one was a Toshiba 35" which we replaced with a Panasonic plasma in 2010)? Like anyone continuing to use old technology you are going to need to support yourself with used technology at least as long as even that is supported by the vendors where required (such as TiVo's require service connections and guide data to really be useful).

Scott


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

emuman100 said:


> If I go to Tivo, they'll only ever sell me a Bolt.


If you go to Tivo, they will sell you a Roamio OTA for $400 that includes All-in service. You can add a cable card adapter to a Rroamio OTA to use it for cable tv and buy a breakout cable to use composite video output.


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