# Should I buy a TiVo Bolt or TIVo Edge?



## booch221 (Jul 29, 2018)

I need to replace my Tivo HD. I need a OTA Tivo.
Amazon has a refurb Tivo Bolt OTA 1TB for $300 with All-in Service included.

On the Tivo website I see the Tivo Edge for $200. It has only 500GB of storage and All-In service would cost another $250. So the total cost is $450.

Does the Edge have any killer features that the Bolt lacks? Will the Bolt continue to get updates? The Bolt can record 4 shows at once while the Edge can only do 2.

I like having 1TB of storage so I'm leaning toward the Bolt but need some expert advice.


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## JeffreyW (Jul 14, 2021)

I've had a Bolt for a few years and for what it does, I always liked it. The only reason I bought it over other options was because Tivo had announced they were going to develop an app for Roku and FireTV so it would make it a whole-house DVR. Of course, they stopped development of the app so I was stuck watching my recordings only on the TV on which the Tivo was attached. Although my Bolt continues to work without any problems, I recently switched to Channels DVR. I did so because the Tivo only receives OTA channels so I had to keep switching my TV input between Tivo and my FireTV streaming stick to watch my streaming services. I also wanted the whole-house DVR and true commercial skip Channels DVR offers. The only thing I don't like about Channels is the fast forward and rewind since it uses a user-defined number of seconds rather than the 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x option of the Tivo and the fact that Channels DVR lacks a lifetime option (I pay $80 per year). Unlike Tivo, Channels DVR is constantly updated and the developers listen to the users and incorporate new features quickly.

If all you really want is a plug-and-play OTA DVR, you should consider the Amazon Fire Recast. The 4-tuner model is about the same price you would pay for a refurbished Bolt, but you could get it a lot cheaper when Amazon puts their stuff on sale at certain times of the year. The Recast would give you the same capabilities as the Bolt but also give you a whole-house DVR experience. The down side is that you would need a FireTV stick on every TV to watch it.


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## lujan (May 24, 2010)

I have a Fire TV in 3 rooms which is plenty but how is the guide on the Recast and is it as easy to set shows to record on it as it is on the TiVo?


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

We switched to Channels recently. I like that it is source agnostic. I can switch between Antenna, Locast, Cable, Youtube or even multiples of those sources without affecting the GUI and the WAF. It is cheaper than all in.
You can view it through many different clients from tables, phones, Apple TV, ... without additional fees. You can subscribe on a monthly basis or an annual basis.

If you have a spare computer Desktop/Laptop, I would give the free trial a spin.


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

I continue to believe the Roamio series was the last great product TiVo will ever produce. The Edge is better than the Bolt but it has its own limitations like TE4 only and no more transfers from local PCs, along with the bugs to be expected with a younger product of course.

If you want to stay with TiVo, I recommend a warrantied refurbed Roamio OTA from Weaknees, with upgraded storage if you wish. But I also suggest you consider Channels DVR and a future-proofed HD HomeRun FLEX 4K tuner.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Pokemon_Dad said:


> I continue to believe the Roamio series was the last great product TiVo will ever produce. The Edge is better than the Bolt but it has its own limitations like TE4 only and no more transfers from local PCs, along with the bugs to be expected with a younger product of course.
> 
> If you want to stay with TiVo, I recommend a warrantied refurbed Roamio OTA from Weaknees, with upgraded storage if you wish. But I also suggest you consider Channels DVR and a future-proofed HD HomeRun FLEX 4K tuner.


+1,000,000
$200-ish on ebay ($280 on Weaknees) will get you a Roamio including All-In which will last you for many years to come.


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## booch221 (Jul 29, 2018)

Pokemon_Dad said:


> I continue to believe the Roamio series was the last great product TiVo will ever produce. The Edge is better than the Bolt but it has its own limitations like TE4 only and no more transfers from local PCs, along with the bugs to be expected with a younger product of course.
> 
> If you want to stay with TiVo, I recommend a warrantied refurbed Roamio OTA from Weaknees, with upgraded storage if you wish. But I also suggest you consider Channels DVR and a future-proofed HD HomeRun FLEX 4K tuner.


Why is the Roamio better than the bolt?
I have a Roamio at another house and it is noisy, and slow to open menus.


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

booch221 said:


> Why is the Roamio better than the bolt?
> I have a Roamio at another house and it is noisy, and slow to open menus.


As always YMMMV but my Roamio Pro is neither noisy nor slow, though I don't recommend it for streaming.* My Bolt on the other hand had multiple defects including being very very noisy. Later production quality improved, but my impression based on TCF posts is that they were on average never as reliable as Roamios. I recycled my Bolt but the Roamio is still going with a second hard drive.

(*I don't recommend any TiVo for streaming anyway, not with all the better options out there.)


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

Another vote that the best option is a Roamio, it's the small block chevy of the family, it's quiet, reliable, easy to maintain with 3.5" form factor drives, runs TE3 easily, zero reason to to go elsewhere unless you have a need to record the rare 4K broadcast program.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Roamio must be like potato chips. I have 4 and a Premiere still working, all networked and 3TB in the Series 5. For serious streaming, I use a Roku Ultra. It supports DV now and other great stuff (Atmos, HDR10) and is always getting app updates.

I have changed two fans.


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## lujan (May 24, 2010)

I'll stick with TiVo because my question about the guide and setting recordings on other platforms was never answered.


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

lujan said:


> I'll stick with TiVo because my question about the guide and setting recordings on other platforms was never answered.


The chance someone in this thread owns a Recast is low. There's lots of information here though: Migrating to Amazon Recast from TiVo


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## lujan (May 24, 2010)

Pokemon_Dad said:


> The chance someone in this thread owns a Recast is low. There's lots of information here though: Migrating to Amazon Recast from TiVo


Interesting, the OP returned it. I think I'm still going to use my 3 remaining lifetime TiVo's until they bite the dust and by then hopefully they'll be something better?


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

lujan said:


> Interesting, the OP returned it. I think I'm still going to use my 3 remaining lifetime TiVo's until they bite the dust and by then hopefully they'll be something better?


I'm currently transitioning from TiVo to Channels DVR, but will probably keep both running in parallel for a long time. We still love the ol' Roamio, just not what TiVo the company has become.

Channels has a Fire TV app, by the way.


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## JeffreyW (Jul 14, 2021)

I'm also still running my Bolt and it continues to record OTA shows, although I haven't watched it for several weeks. I went to Channels DVR for a few reasons, including the integration of OTA and my streaming channels (via TVE) without the need to switch inputs, the ability to record shows from my streaming service (the cloud based recording of AT&T Now is horrible), watching recorded shows on other TVs in my house, and the ability to rewind on my streaming channels (which AT&T Now doesn't support). What ultimately pushed me to make the switch was Tivo injecting ads at the start of every recording. Although they stopped for awhile after I complained, they came back again. Again, I had to complain about the ads and they removed them again, but I figure it's only a matter of time before they start again. I use a DVR so I don't have to watch commercials, something Tivo doesn't understand. I use the Tivo Stream 4K (TS4K) as my streaming device, although I de-Tivo'ed it before using it. I like the TS4K remote better than any other streaming device remote I've used since it's a smaller version of the peanut remote that came with the Bolt and Channels DVR has an option to reprogram the remote buttons to work with the Channels DVR client. I'd be the first to admit that Channels DVR is still a work in progress and not yet as polished as the Tivo Bolt, but it's rapidly getting there.


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

That's an important point: the advertising on TE4 devices. You can ask TiVo to remove them, but sometimes they come back. And Edge can't be "sidegraded" to TE3 to avoid them either. That was the final straw that led me to try Channels DVR.


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## pfiagra (Oct 13, 2014)

Pokemon_Dad said:


> That's an important point: the advertising on TE4 devices. You can ask TiVo to remove them, but sometimes they come back. And Edge can't be "sidegraded" to TE3 to avoid them either. That was the final straw that led me to try Channels DVR.


AFAIK, the reappearance of preroll ads after asking and having them removed was only for a brief period shortly after they were introduced. I started using TE4 after those initial complaints and have not had them come back ever. I also haven't seen any complaints in a long time that this reappearance of ads is still happening.


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## lujan (May 24, 2010)

pfiagra said:


> AFAIK, the reappearance of preroll ads after asking and having them removed was only for a brief period shortly after they were introduced. I started using TE4 after those initial complaints and have not had them come back ever. I also haven't seen any complaints in a long time that this reappearance of ads is still happening.


Me neither, I haven't seen the ads since I asked them to be removed right after buying my 2 lifetime bolts.


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

Thanks @pfiagra & @lujan, that's important for the OP to know. TiVo lost more than a few of us while they were figuring that out though.


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