# Bolt usage questions for current owners.



## Player1138 (Oct 1, 2015)

Got a few specific usage questions for current owners.

1. Can I cast Netflix/YouTube to the bolt. What I mean is say I am watching regular cable TV. I come across a YouTube video on my phone that I would rather watch on the TV screen. Can I click a cast to TiVo on the YouTube app on my phone and have the bolt automatically open YouTube and start the video. 

2. Is yahoo one of the available apps to watch their shows such as community?

3. Does anyone use a harmony remote with it. If so does it work well? I am looking at the new harmony hub remote with buttons.

4. For the commercial skip are they doing popular shows on non network channels. Like AMC, Syfy...etc. 

5. Assuming for one pass thing I can set it to record only new episodes? I do not want to come home to 50 episodes of walking dead if they have a marathon. 

6. Does it work and is it reliable. The only reason I can stomach the TWC box is if stuff goes wrong they fix it. Am I always going to have to tinker with TiVo box to keep it working ?

Thanks.


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## moveandstore (Oct 17, 2015)

You Hi. I'm new to the forum and can answer a couple of your questions:

You can use a Harmony remote with the Bolt. I am using the Harmony 650 and it works just fine.

The commercial skip feature works like a charm. Most of the major shows are listing to the ad skip in a their listings. Shows like Arrow and Flash and Law & Order SVU are working just fine. I haven't checked like Bravo or AMC yet, but I'm quite sure if should be for the Walking Dead. I just got home the Bolt this Wed.

When you do your Season Pass, you can configure it for new episodes only in the settings.

I use a cable card (Cablevision) and it took about a couple of minutes and a phone call to pair it. I had a TiVo Premiere, so I am familiar with the process. So far no problems with the Bolt.


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## georgeorwell86 (Sep 15, 2015)

3. I'm using a Harmony 900 in my setup....but I find myself only using it to turn my components on/off. Once everything is on, I resort back to the Bolt remote as it controls everything including volume. As with the Fire TV, I find the Harmony lags compared to the original remotes.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Player1138 said:


> Got a few specific usage questions for current owners.
> 
> 1. Can I cast Netflix/YouTube to the bolt. What I mean is say I am watching regular cable TV. I come across a YouTube video on my phone that I would rather watch on the TV screen. Can I click a cast to TiVo on the YouTube app on my phone and have the bolt automatically open YouTube and start the video.
> 
> .................Thanks.


Yes. Just like with the Roamio Models. You can look at YouTube or Netflix on your phone and cast it to the selected Bolt and the content will start playing on the Bolt.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Player1138 said:


> Got a few specific usage questions for current owners.
> 
> 2. Is yahoo one of the available apps to watch their shows such as community?
> 
> Thanks.


I see Yahoo in the same section with Netflix, Vudu, and Amazon. Once I selected the Yahoo app then I see the show Community on the Grid and can play the different episodes of it.


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## solutionsetc (Apr 2, 2009)

Player1138 said:


> 1. Can I cast Netflix/YouTube to the bolt. What I mean is say I am watching regular cable TV. I come across a YouTube video on my phone that I would rather watch on the TV screen. Can I click a cast to TiVo on the YouTube app on my phone and have the bolt automatically open YouTube and start the video.


Nope. I see no way to cast anything from the phone to a TiVo. I think the 'Cast to Big Screen' feature advertised is a bit of a misnomer. If you are watching a TiVo based show on your phone, you can touch a button and have the TiVo start playing it from that point.



> 2. Is yahoo one of the available apps to watch their shows such as community?


Yes



> 6. Does it work and is it reliable.


Been rock solid so far.


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## Player1138 (Oct 1, 2015)

aaronwt said:


> Yes. Just like with the Roamio Models. You can look at YouTube or Netflix on your phone and cast it to the selected Bolt and the content will start playing on the Bolt.


Thanks for the replies. Only following up as a comment below contradicts this. So if I watch cable the. hit cast YouTube of Netflix app on cell phone it will overtake the cable without having to open a YouTube or Netflix app.

What happens when video is over. Do you get an option to go,back to watching tv?

Thanks again for the responses.


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## solutionsetc (Apr 2, 2009)

Player1138 said:


> Thanks for the replies. Only following up as a comment below contradicts this. So if I watch cable the. hit cast YouTube of Netflix app on cell phone it will overtake the cable without having to open a YouTube or Netflix app.
> 
> What happens when video is over. Do you get an option to go,back to watching tv?
> 
> Thanks again for the responses.


I now see that YouTube will cast to the Bolt. When I first checked for this I used Pocket Casts, Google Play Music, Play Movies, and the ChromeCast app itself and the TiVos were not listed, so I assumed no casting was supported.

Not sure why YouTube is supported, but none of the other Google apps. Any thoughts?


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## Player1138 (Oct 1, 2015)

solutionsetc said:


> I now see that YouTube will cast to the Bolt. When I first checked for this I used Pocket Casts, Google Play Music, Play Movies, and the ChromeCast app itself and the TiVos were not listed, so I assumed no casting was supported.
> 
> Not sure why YouTube is supported, but none of the other Google apps. Any thoughts?


I feel like it is a YouTube/Netflix programming thing as they recognize apps on the same network. But not sure.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Player1138 said:


> Thanks for the replies. Only following up as a comment below contradicts this. So if I watch cable the. hit cast YouTube of Netflix app on cell phone it will overtake the cable without having to open a YouTube or Netflix app.
> 
> What happens when video is over. Do you get an option to go,back to watching tv?
> 
> Thanks again for the responses.


Not sure if it goes back automatically. I always use the remote to go somewhere else after watching something that I started on my tablet/phone.


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## FitzAusTex (May 7, 2014)

aaronwt said:


> Not sure if it goes back automatically. I always use the remote to go somewhere else after watching something that I started on my tablet/phone.


 You remain in either the you tube or Netflix app after your casted video finishes playing. You can use the tivo remote to explore other options, or exit out of either app back into the tivo interface. And you can use the tivo remote to control the video that you cast to the tivo.


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## Rodwalls (Jan 12, 2009)

Quick question, has anyone noticed any difference in the tuner strength versus the Romeo or some of the other units? I am OTA only and just wondered how it handled that. Thanks R 
Sorry if this was already posted. I didn't see it discussed.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Rodwalls said:


> Quick question, has anyone noticed any difference in the tuner strength versus the Romeo or some of the other units? I am OTA only and just wondered how it handled that. Thanks R
> Sorry if this was already posted. I didn't see it discussed.


I never did compare the signal strength between my Bolts and Roamios. I only know that my Bolts picked up the same OTA channels as my Roamios.


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## Superman2015 (Oct 24, 2015)

My Bolt has been sitting in its box since it arrived. I think I'm afraid there won't be an improvement on picture quality for non-4K shows and I'll be bummed. 

Specifically, I have Verizon FIOS and the signal is too hot for Tivo causing pixelation. Fixed that but the Picture quality on Roamio was less crisp than on my Verizon dvr. 

My main question: Does Bolt improve picture quality with its 4K capability on non-4K shows?

I have a brand-new Sony 70 inch 4K TV and the picture quality for even non-4K shows is dramatically better. Oddly, shows streamed from Verizon Fios are better than shows recorded on Verizon DVR. Any idea why that would be the case? 

When you ask Tivo about these issues, they say the signal strength for Verizon FIOS has to be brought down, with lower signal strength and lower SNR. 

I guess I'm looking for any comments or encouragement on Bolt picture quality before I set it up and find no improvement & the buyers remorse hits. Or any tips on this issue. 

I also have the new 4K Roku -- also still in its box. (!)

I do have the Sony 4K receiver and the 4K picture on Netflix is unbelievable. Now if we can only get more 4K content ...!

Thx for reading this.


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## solutionsetc (Apr 2, 2009)

Superman2015 said:


> My Bolt has been sitting in its box since it arrived. I think I'm afraid there won't be an improvement on picture quality for non-4K shows and I'll be bummed.
> 
> Specifically, I have Verizon FIOS and the signal is too hot for Tivo causing pixelation. Fixed that but the Picture quality on Roamio was less crisp than on my Verizon dvr.
> 
> ...


I don't have a 4k set so take this for what it's worth, but non-4k content to a 4k set depends on the quality of the scaler being used. Now as to whether the Bolt's 4k scaler is better than the TV's, I don't know. If it is an expensive TV, one would *assume* it is better at scaling then a $300 DVR, but who knows. I had a $3500 TV, and a $1000 AVR did a better job at scaling/deinterlacing than the TV.


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## Superman2015 (Oct 24, 2015)

I read in Wired that the networks will be the last to convert to 4K because they have so much equipment to upgrade so the 4K content will come from Netflix, Roku & Amazon Prime. And it will be mostly streaming bc my Sony box takes most of a day to download a 4K movie. And 4K DVD players coming by year end. 

With limited 4K content there were lots of deals out there when I bought this new Sony 4K set. It was a $4,999 70 inch 4K Sony for 2999. My previous TV was maybe twice that much for half the quality. If the program is good quality picture the improvement even for regular HD programs was noticeably improved. 

I just hope the Bolt receives and records with better quality than the Roamio. 

Thanks & welcome other comments.


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## zerdian1 (Apr 19, 2015)

I have Comcast.
TiVo says the signal strength & DNR has to be degraded my Series 5 roamio Pros.
but it appears to be no problem for my Roamio Basic.

I put two Attenuators (2dB+4dB) in series on my WeaKnees 12TB TiVo Series 5 Roamio Pro and one Attenuator (8dB) on my 4TB TiVo Series 5 Roamio Pro. 

So my assumptions is that the circuitry is more sensitive to strong signals in the Roamio Pro and I therefore assume that this would continue in the TiVo Bolt.

My guess is the they have increased the sensitivity to bring in weaker signals in the Roamio Pro and the Bolt.


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## Superman2015 (Oct 24, 2015)

Holy Crap - now I get to tell people that I got a consult on my TV system from a NASA Engineer! Thank you. 

The attenuators stuff is beyond me though and my TV experts here only want to install systems, no one in Dallas so far with significant knowledge of these issues. 

But seriously thank you. And I bet you have some stories..!


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I recently had an issue with my Pro. Al Jazeera went out and the only thing I can figure it was the strong signal. So I put an attenuator back on and the channel came back. I have another cable going to my Bolt and that has been fine. My signals Come from an eight way splitter that is connected to my FiOS ONT.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

aaronwt said:


> *I recently had an issue with my Pro. Al Jazeera went out* .......


And that's an issue........why?


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## spartus4 (Oct 11, 2014)

zerdian1 said:


> I have Comcast.
> TiVo says the signal strength & DNR has to be degraded my Series 5 roamio Pros.
> but it appears to be no problem for my Roamio Basic.
> 
> ...


Why in a bunch of the topics does someone start blathering on about signal strength? This is the fourth topic that someone has gone off topic with signal crap.


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## drooplug (Dec 6, 2015)

Superman2015 said:


> Oddly, shows streamed from Verizon Fios are better than shows recorded on Verizon DVR. Any idea why that would be the case?


Last I knew, FIOS does not compress the channel signals the way traditional cable companies do. Your network channels should look as good as they do OTA. My guess would be that their DVR does some compression to save space and that affects the quality of the video.

I know this thread is a bit stale, but I switched from FIOS equipment to the Bolt and I am very happy. The FIOS stuff is junk. I wish I had thought of switching 2 years ago.

You TV already does the upscaling to 4k. I don't see how any upscaling on the Bolt would improve that.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

drooplug said:


> Last I knew, FIOS does not compress the channel signals the way traditional cable companies do. Your network channels should look as good as they do OTA. My guess would be that their DVR does some compression to save space and that affects the quality of the video.
> 
> I know this thread is a bit stale, but I switched from FIOS equipment to the Bolt and I am very happy. The FIOS stuff is junk. I wish I had thought of switching 2 years ago.
> 
> You TV already does the upscaling to 4k. I don't see how any upscaling on the Bolt would improve that.


Things have changed on FiOS. There are many channels that they are compressing further that has decreased the video quality. But in my area, even with the lower quality for some channels, they are still better than what Comcast shows in my area.
Local channels seem to be unaffected though. The last time I checked my FiOS recordings and OTA recordings were still the same file size.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> Things have changed on FiOS. There are many channels that they are compressing further that has decreased the video quality.


Many channels? I know they started broadcasting some channels in h.264, but that is different than what some cable companies do. They further compress the mpeg2 signal.


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## drooplug (Dec 6, 2015)

We are close to cutting the cord for TV. Maybe in another year. I'm not sure how much money that will actually save us. Last time I called Verizon, they said it would be the same price if I got rid of TV. But I went on the website and found that if I cut back to just local channels, I would save money.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

waynomo said:


> Many channels? I know they started broadcasting some channels in h.264, but that is different than what some cable companies do. They further compress the mpeg2 signal.


Yes. They are stuffing an extra mpeg2 chanel per QAM. At least some of them anyway. H.264 channels have been around for awhile now on FiOS. But unfortunately most of those are new channels instead of Mpeg2 channels being switched to H.264.


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> Yes. They are stuffing an extra mpeg2 chanel per QAM. At least some of them anyway. H.264 channels have been around for awhile now on FiOS. But unfortunately most of those are new channels instead of Mpeg2 channels being switched to H.264.


I'm a FiOS customer. Could you explain the difference between H.264 channels and MPEG2 channels? What is QAM? What does it mean to stuff an extra MPEG2 channel per QAM?

I gather the stuffing of extra channels into a QAM and switching from MPEG2 to H.264 means FiOS can deliver more channels. Might this mean that one day FiOS might give me TCM HD? Thanks ....


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

epstewart said:


> I'm a FiOS customer. Could you explain the difference between H.264 channels and MPEG2 channels? What is QAM? What does it mean to stuff an extra MPEG2 channel per QAM?
> 
> I gather the stuffing of extra channels into a QAM and switching from MPEG2 to H.264 means FiOS can deliver more channels. Might this mean that one day FiOS might give me TCM HD? Thanks ....


*QAM* stands for quadrature amplitude modulation, the format by which digital cable channels are encoded and transmitted via cable television providers. Each QAM "Channel" (Note: not the same as a cable channel) is a 6 MHz slice of the total bandwidth and can support up to 36Mbps of data transition. How many actually cable channels the cable provider transmits in each 6 MHz QAM channel is up to them. As they add more channels they are lowering the quality of each.

The second part of digital cable is what compression/file format they are transmitting in. MPEG 2 is the older format and requires larger files/more bandwidth to provide the same quality video/audio as the newer h.264 compression format.

So to recap adding more actual cable channels per QAM channel reduces video/audio quality. Changing from MPEG 2 to h.264 allows for a reduction in bandwidth to maintain quality which allows for more channels with potentially no video/audio quality loss.

Conversion to h.264 is generally a good thing and allows for more HD channels - but it requires equipment/software that can decode it. Most older cable STB can not and Series 3/TiVo HDs also can not.

Stuffing more cable channels into a QAM channel while still using MPEG 2 is a bad thing and picture quality suffers.

P.S.: If they start broadcasting 4k it will be in an even newer compression format h.265 which again requires equipment that can decode it. The Bolt is the only TiVo that can.


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