# TIVO BOLT SUCKS!



## Daniel Whanon (Mar 6, 2017)

I recently had my whole household switch to TiVo Bolts with fios. I used to be able to watch all my favorite shows with On Demand, BUT TIVO BOLT DOES NOT SUPPORT ON DEMAND FOR FIOS USERS! I ****ING HATE TIVO AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND SMASHING YOURS! Peace - Daniel


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Yeah, it's pretty unconscionable for TiVo to be advertising that you can get FiOS OnDemand through their units, only to find it's not true.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> Yeah, it's pretty unconscionable for TiVo to be advertising that you can get FiOS OnDemand through their units


When have they done that?


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

wmcbrine said:


> When have they done that?


I was waiting for the "oh wait they don't..."

Scott


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## zubinh (Jun 7, 2004)

Before you smash yours, I'll give you $10 for it.


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## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

Daniel Whanon said:


> I recently had my whole household switch to TiVo Bolts with fios. I used to be able to watch all my favorite shows with On Demand, BUT TIVO BOLT DOES NOT SUPPORT ON DEMAND FOR FIOS USERS! I ******* HATE TIVO AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND SMASHING YOURS! Peace - Daniel


Hi Daniel,
Hopefully, you have calmed down a bit by now. The thing is that even though Tivo's current programming is a bit off, simply creating a one-pass for your favorite shows should pretty much eliminate the need for VOD, as you should easily find the shows that you missed right there at your fingertips.
PS. If you haven't calmed down, I'll be happy to give you $11 for your Bolt.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Should have done more research. It's pretty well known that TiVo doesn't support VOD for FIOS. The CableCARD spec does not require any sort of VOD support so it's up to TiVo and the cable companies to make a special deal to develop an app to support VOD on TiVo. So far they've only been able to do that with Comcast, COX and RCN. They were working with Charter on something at one point, but that fell through. They've never announced any sort of partnership with Verizon or Frontier.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

VoD is available to FiOS customers, just not FiOS VoD. Many channels have apps which let you access programs on demand. CBS app lets you view the most recent OTA programs for free. HBO, Showtime, Epix, TCM, hallmark all have apps. Many of the apps are available on your tivo. Alternatively use Chromecast.

Do you use FiOS VoD to rent current movies? Try Vudu.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

I'll go as high as $15 for the Bolt.


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## tluxon (Feb 28, 2002)

Daniel Whanon said:


> ...I ******* HATE TIVO AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND SMASHING YOURS! Peace - Daniel


I'm really confused. You want us to smash OUR TiVos? What if we LIKE them?


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

I love my Bolt! But I already knew that I couldn't get On Demand with a cableCARD, from my Premieres. I don't love that. I've brought it up to people at Charter a couple of times but, clearly, they don't care. Furthermore, I'd be shocked if that changed. 

But the Bolt is awesome. Way faster than the Premieres, 'Quick Mode', 'skip'. I use these features all the time. Plus it has a larger hdd. I would replace my other Premiere with another Bolt except that I just can't justify it, since the Premiere works fine (as does the other one that is currently shelved). Oh, and I also love not having to hook up a wireless adapter, as the Bolt has it internally. They should have done that a long time ago.


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## eherberg (Feb 17, 2011)

tluxon said:


> I'm really confused. You want us to smash OUR TiVos? What if we LIKE them?


That's the rub ... he never said he was going to smash _his_ TiVo. He just wants you to smash yours.


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## eherberg (Feb 17, 2011)

fcfc2 said:


> Hi Daniel,
> Hopefully, you have calmed down a bit by now. The thing is that even though Tivo's current programming is a bit off, simply creating a one-pass for your favorite shows should pretty much eliminate the need for VOD, as you should easily find the shows that you missed right there at your fingertips.
> PS. If you haven't calmed down, I'll be happy to give you $11 for your Bolt.


I suspect the original post should have read "Recently my Dad switched our whole household to TiVo Bolts with fios". You know the darn kids now-a-days. If it ain't streaming, then there must be no other way to watch it.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

eherberg said:


> That's the rub ... he never said he was going to smash _his_ TiVo. He just wants you to smash yours.


Well, it *might* improve the resale value of *his* BOLT if we were all to smash the DVRs we're quite fond of and would quickly be looking to replace.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

eherberg said:


> I suspect the original post should have read "Recently my Dad switched our whole household to TiVo Bolts with fios". You know the darn kids now-a-days. If it ain't streaming, then there must be no other way to watch it.


I was thinking the same thing. 

Scott


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## tluxon (Feb 28, 2002)

I wonder how many Bolts were committed to with this "whole household switch"?


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## salparadise1242 (Oct 18, 2016)

I am presently waiting for my third Tivo Bolt, having gotten two defective ones. Has also cost me many many hours with "support." I am a very early adopter of Tivo. Their support used to be great. Now they are worthless. Have at least 90 minutes open if you want to call them.

Can't say how very frustrated I am with Tivo. Researching other platforms to switch to.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

salparadise1242 said:


> I am presently waiting for my third Tivo Bolt, having gotten two defective ones. Has also cost me many many hours with "support." I am a very early adopter of Tivo. Their support used to be great. Now they are worthless. Have at least 90 minutes open if you want to call them.
> 
> Can't say how very frustrated I am with Tivo. Researching other platforms to switch to.


Thank you for the info. on your experience (and sorry to hear of it).


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## Neil12011 (Oct 26, 2017)

I've never made a profile on a forum for the sole purpose of bashing a product until now. As a integrator, I have to say that the customer service and product "support" of Tivo is on par with the worst I've ever seen. I literally told our client I would discount their system up to $500 if they wouldn't use Tivo. They paid a lifetime subscription (does not transfer to new boxes), so they'll have to pay that again. Unless a customer absolutely insists, this will be the last Tivo install we ever do. I simply cannot un-recommend a product more than this. If you're reading this, remember, I took the time to make a login for this forum, just to voice my concerns. This is after being on the phone with their tech support. Please, spend your money elsewhere.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Neil12011 said:


> They paid a lifetime subscription (does not transfer to new boxes), so they'll have to pay that again.


It's for the lifetime of the boxes, not the user, and always has been (after an early terms correction). The customer doesn't have to pay for the lifetime if the subscription costs make more sense to them, if they like to always upgrade to the latest hardware.

I was with you on the support and customer service complaints given recent changes, but the service costs critique doesn't fly.

p.s. If you're just now getting around to creating a TCF login, I have to wonder how many TiVo installs you've done, to date.


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## Neil12011 (Oct 26, 2017)

As far as installs, we've done enough. I have two techs on two different job sites right this minute. Both called and said "tivo just sucks". So I googled "tivo sucks" and found this thread. I've already voiced my opinion to Tivo and our distributor. It's just a garbage business model, period. I think end users should know how their money is being spent when it comes to support. My service cost critique stands, and it doth fly. I always comment companies when they get it right, so now, I'll do the inverse.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Then you may want to voice your opinion on the official TiVo forums, here: TiVo - Customer Help Forums, as well, since TCF is just a user community, not officially associated with TiVo (and seemingly lacking much traffic from TiVo employees).


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## kpeters59 (Jun 19, 2007)

I've done dozens of custom installs and multi-room setups with TiVo.

I'd _literally_ give a $500 discount to ANY customer to not make me suffer through ANY Cable Provider provided box.

But, that's because I'm a Tivo user (and installer) since Series 1 in 1998.

The ability to change the remote address off of the default so I can stack multiple TiVo's right on top of each other in a rack is not available from any cable box. Plus about 1000 other benefits of TiVo over any other cable box.

Are you still installing RNG200's or what? Or, how about that 'fantastic' VIP1200?

-KP


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Given what I've heard re: other options and what I know about relative costs of a TiVo whole home solution to a similar cable provider solution, when more than a couple display setups are needed, the total cost of TiVo is less beyond month 24-ish. And then you could figure the resale value of the TiVo devices into the balance sheet.


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## emuman100 (Jul 3, 2003)

I was a loyal Tivo user since Series 1 DirecTiVo's. As of late, their refusal to activate older platforms and poor customer service is a nail in the coffin for them. Newer platforms are crap, and hackability is not an option because the loyal Tivo hackers of the S1/2/3 days are feeling the same frustrations. It really is a shame.


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## kpeters59 (Jun 19, 2007)

Almost nothing you said is actually true...

-KP


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## Gavroche (May 27, 2007)

I've been a TiVo subscriber since series 1 and I love my Tivos but I would never recommend TiVo as a singular solution for non-techie folks. I feel like TiVo is a niche product that's great for some folks but incredibly frustrating for people who want it to "just work."

It's a good product for me, but I've learned to have a lot of patience over the last 17 years waiting for TiVo to fix bugs and broken features. 

I'm not sure at this point if I really think there are no better alternatives or I just have battered-wife-syndrome when it comes to staying with TiVo. 

All I can say is after all this time I'm still using TiVo and still find it valuable. 

That being said, being a software developer for a living... If I ever released something that had as many show-stopping defects as some of the TiVo software releases have had over the years, I'd be fired. 

It takes a special kind of person to love TiVo as much as many of us do.


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## disturbedfred (Oct 2, 2004)

salparadise1242 said:


> I am presently waiting for my third Tivo Bolt, having gotten two defective ones. Has also cost me many many hours with "support." I am a very early adopter of Tivo. Their support used to be great. Now they are worthless. Have at least 90 minutes open if you want to call them.
> 
> Can't say how very frustrated I am with Tivo. Researching other platforms to switch to.


Try a Roamio+ or Pro. Very few problems and not ugly. And yes, I agree support is horrible now.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

I do not use Tivo for Apps. I find them unreliable and slow on my Roamio. I prefer streamer boxes. I only for live TV and recording basic cable and OTA. Anything that is accessible via streamer options like our HBO and Showtime subscriptions go that route. One of the reasons is that shows are often available earlier than their broadcast times and I can play them at my schedule.

Tivo has gone from the be all solution to just being one of many solutions.


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## disturbedfred (Oct 2, 2004)

zalusky said:


> I do not use Tivo for Apps. I find them unreliable and slow on my Roamio. I prefer streamer boxes. I only for live TV and recording basic cable and OTA. Anything that is accessible via streamer options like our HBO and Showtime subscriptions go that route. One of the reasons is that shows are often available earlier than their broadcast times and I can play them at my schedule.
> 
> Tivo has gone from the be all solution to just being one of many solutions.


TiVo was never a be all solution. Late to the game, they wanted to be a walled garden originally. I'll bet the apps on my Roamio are not much slower than yours.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

disturbedfred said:


> TiVo was never a be all solution. Late to the game, they wanted to be a walled garden originally. I'll bet the apps on my Roamio are not much slower than yours.


They are very fast on my Apple TV. 

On my Tivo Mini it would crash quite a bit trying to go to YouTube or Netflix.


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## disturbedfred (Oct 2, 2004)

zalusky said:


> They are very fast on my Apple TV.
> 
> On my Tivo Mini it would crash quite a bit trying to go to YouTube or Netflix.


Interesting. Mine never crashed or took too long to load, TiVo just took forever to update the apps. In fact, I've never had a TiVo crash ever. Not minis nor Roamio, nor Premieres, nor DT's, nor single tuners. Only pixeling that was related to my ONT, once they replaced it I was good. I'm on FIOS. I am also on MOCA in my house, maybe the network has something to do with it? I do mean other than hard drive's dying.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

disturbedfred said:


> Interesting. Mine never crashed or took too long to load, TiVo just took forever to update the apps. In fact, I've never had a TiVo crash ever. Not minis nor Roamio. Only pixeling that was related to my ONT, once they replaced it I was good. I'm on FIOS. I am also on MOCA in my house, maybe the network has something to do with it?


I thought about that but I have a good 450MB connection with GB switches throughout. Its just a lot easier to switch to ATV and faster app loading as well as a complete list of apps.


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