# Should I upgrade to Bolt?



## adamwsh (Oct 22, 2002)

TiVo sent me an offer to upgrade my premier xl4 to a Bolt and they'll transfer my lifetime subscription for $99. I know that's a hell of an offer that they don't make often. A few months ago my xl4 was acting strange and was thinking it was going to fall. But it's been fine lately. So I'm wondering if it's worth the money to upgrade to Bolt or not. I don't need 4k. Have no plans to get a 4k tv. The xl4 is 5 years old. Should I upgrade simply to have the newer device? Should I get the 4 or 6 tuner?

TIA!


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## chicagobrownblue (May 29, 2008)

Do you have really strong signal strength? That has been problematic for the Bolts. How much for the Bolt?

I'd go with the Bolt since you can convert it to OTA in the future and the 1TB Drive is a little bit more reliable than the 3TB in the Bolt+.

Check out what Weaknees charges for a replacement Premiere hard drive (I'm assuming that is ready to fail). That is another factor.

I'm going to rely on a 4K TV to provide 4K apps -- if I ever get one. But, I'm satisfied with the HD Netflix app on my Roamio.


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## adamwsh (Oct 22, 2002)

chicagobrownblue said:


> Do you have really strong signal strength?


Like, cable signal? Or Wifi? I have Verizon FIOS and have never had an issue with signal. I have ethernet available to the Tivo, so I don't have to worry about wifi strength.



chicagobrownblue said:


> How much for the Bolt?


The 1TB will cost me $299. 3TB is $499. Plus $99 to xfer lifetime service. I'm leaning toward the 1TB because it's cheaper and I don't really think I need more than 150 hours!


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## chicagobrownblue (May 29, 2008)

Cable signal. Mine is about 90% which is low enough for the Bolt.

My Premiere recovered from one fail. It did not recover from the second. That is one reason to get the Bolt. Waiting for Black Friday might be too long.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Answer: yes. 

It's a heck of a deal, as you've noted, and doesn't come around often. It's a more powerful box, with further capability. You've had issues with your old box, and that can recur--I'd take that as a warning.

I like the Bolt (nonplus) over the plus, for the OTA-cable option--and who knows what will be happening to cable in the future.

Also, consider the Bolt 500GB flavor--you can replace the hard drive relatively easily with a nice Toshiba 3TB drive for under $150 (see YouTube videos on this; takes a couple of screwdrivers and less than half an hour, nearly plug-'n-play--no messing with software needed, the box handles it all). And so, for under $50 more than the Bolt 1TB after the Bolt 500GB and replacement drive, you end up with a Bolt 3TB.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Yes!

I took advantage of the TiVoHD $99 upgrade offer even though I already had a Roamio Pro. The Bolt+ replaced the Roamio and I think it was a good upgrade to go from the Roamio to the Bolt. So to me the upgrade from a Premiere to a Bolt is a no brainer.

Also, how long can you reliably depend on your Premiere? If it does fail the odds of getting a $99 transfer of Lifetime are probably slim.


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## Will Binegar (Mar 10, 1999)

I've got a Premier and a Roamio, with a Mini working off the Roamio. If I replace the Premier with a Bolt or Bolt+, what happens with the Mini? Can it work off both or does it have to be designated to one or the other? If the Mini must be assigned to one unit, it can still access recordings on the other, right?


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Will Binegar said:


> I've got a Premier and a Roamio, with a Mini working off the Roamio. If I replace the Premier with a Bolt or Bolt+, what happens with the Mini? Can it work off both or does it have to be designated to one or the other? If the Mini must be assigned to one or the other, it can still access recordings on the unit, right?


Correct as to the latter point.


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## Will Binegar (Mar 10, 1999)

Thanks! So as with the Premier, each unit sees the other, and can play or transfer recordings from the other. The open question is if I add a Bolt to the Roamio, can the existing Mini can access the Bolt's tuners? Also, I suspect the answer is No, but does a Mini working with a Bolt pass 4K?


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## chicagobrownblue (May 29, 2008)

Will Binegar said:


> Also, I suspect the answer is No, but does a Mini working with a Bolt pass 4K?


Not yet but a 4K mini is in the rumor mill for delivery this month, but the month is growing long in the tooth.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

I'd see what this cat's learned...

Should I upgrade to Bolt!?


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## tv514 (Oct 4, 2017)

Does anyone know what happened to the old premiere? Lifetime service will end, but can recorded shows still be watched after 10/31?


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

tv514 said:


> Does anyone know what happened to the old premiere? Lifetime service will end, but can recorded shows still be watched after 10/31?


They can be watch on the local unit. Can't be transferred or streamed to other units.


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## tv514 (Oct 4, 2017)

sfhub said:


> They can be watch on the local unit. Can't be transferred or streamed to other units.


I thought that was the case; tivo customer service told me recorded shows could only be watched until the end of October. It seems you should be able to still watch shows already on there though.


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