# Bolt Vox 500 GB vs Bolt OTA?



## LeeC19 (Jul 27, 2019)

I've cut the cord, but still wanting to leave my options open. I had a previous thread about the 1 gig version non OTA. Turns out, it has 6 tuners, so it doesn't support OTA.

This is a Geek Squad warranty replacement because my Roamio died. So I'm tied to Best Buy's inventory. And I have lifetime, which I know probably will be a hassle in getting it swapped over, but the TiVo site does say it's eligible due to the extended warranty replacement.

So I just want the best unit that will bring me the furthest. TBH, I'm probably not going to get cable again, I guess I'm just interested in having the option.

But aside from that, are there performance differences between the hardware? Would you prefer one over the other just based on hardware? I've read this forum and it seems most/all of you are *way more* technically proficient than I am, and sometimes my eyes glaze over when reading posts, because it's beyond my comprehension.

The 500 gig has 4 tuners, but I'm cutting storage down by half. BUT I guess I could always get an external HD to increase storage?

Which would you buy?

*TiVo - BOLT VOX 500GB DVR & Streaming Player - Black*
Model:TCD849500V
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tivo-bolt-vox-500gb-dvr-streaming-player-black/6130011.p?skuId=6130011

*TiVo - BOLT OTA 1TB DVR & Streaming Player - Black*
Model:TCD849000VO
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tivo-bolt-ota-1tb-dvr-streaming-player-black/6293218.p?skuId=6293218

Anyway, thanks for reading and any input would be totally appreciated.


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## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

Any model which mentions OTA is OTA only and will likely lack the builtin MoCA. Amazingly poor product details/description. This link may help. 
https://support.tivo.com/articles/FAQ/TiVo-Service-Number-and-Model-Number-Table


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## LeeC19 (Jul 27, 2019)

Thanks so much! 

Now I gotta go research what MoCA Is..


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

LeeC19 said:


> Thanks so much!
> 
> Now I gotta go research what MoCA Is..


MoCA technology: it allows a wired connection between TiVo devices using your house's coaxial cable (i.e. cable TV wiring)--an alternative where you don't have Ethernet cabling available between devices.


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## LeeC19 (Jul 27, 2019)

Oh thanks! So they can’t connect wirelessly over WiFi?

I do have a wired connection though, so this seems like it would be a non issue for me. 

If you had the choice of Bolt OTA or the 500G Vox, What would you choose?


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Differences between the 2 models:

-- Greater amount of storage, of course, on the 1TB box. Having said that, you can purchase and put in a replacement drive (for either box) fairly easily, increasing the storage.

-- As mentioned above, the 1TB box does not include MoCA technology* built-in, as an alternative to connect TiVo boxes via wire (the 500GB includes that). To do that with the 1TB box, you would need to purchase an external adapter.

-- The 1TB box is OTA only--no possibility to use with cable. The 500GB box can be used for OTA_ or_ cable (although it has to be set up for one or the other--you can't go back and forth in normal use).

-- The 1TB box can only use the latest TiVo user interface, TE4--it can't be "sidegraded" back (as currently can be done with the 500GB box) to the earlier UI that some people prefer, TE3. TE4 is the more modern interface, but has some limitations: it eliminates TiVo's earlier Live Guide view, and shows on your PC cannot be transferred to a TE4 box; also, to transfer shows to another box, the transfer must be done online, via TiVo online--it can't be done via the boxes themselves.

-- The 1TB OTA Bolt box can get a One-Pass/Lifetime subscription at a special rate, $250 as versus the current, normal $550 price. (Not an issue for you, assuming that Lifetime in fact will transfer from your old box to your new box under the extended warranty; if not, you'd need to pay $550 for Lifetime on the 500GB box (or get a monthly or annual subscription).)

If it was me, I'd probably go the 500GB box route, as it has greater flexibility; the only downside is the smaller hard drive it comes with. This assumes that TiVo indeed will transfer your Lifetime to the new box (I'd make sure with them).

* MoCA technology: it allows a wired connection between TiVo devices using your house's coaxial cabling (i.e. cable TV wiring)--an alternative where you don't have Ethernet cabling available between devices.


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## LeeC19 (Jul 27, 2019)

Mikeguy said:


> Differences between the 2 models:
> 
> -- Greater amount of storage, of course, on the 1TB box. Having said that, you can purchase and put in a replacement drive (for either box) fairly easily, increasing the storage.
> 
> ...


Wow this is great info, thanks so much! I am anticipating a problem with Tivo, but the extended warranty damaged out the old box because it wasn't working. I did check TiVo website about transferring with a warranty swap out, so I guess we'll see.

The other box was dead, so I didn't really have a choice. I would have kept it had it worked.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

LeeC19 said:


> Oh thanks! So they can't connect wirelessly over WiFi?
> 
> I do have a wired connection though, so this seems like it would be a non issue for me.
> 
> If you had the choice of Bolt OTA or the 500G Vox, What would you choose?


Both boxes can connect to your Internet connection via WiFi. But for connection to a TiVo Mini, TiVo currently wants you to use either an Ethernet or a MoCA connection. And so, with the 1TB box, an external MoCA adapter would need to be purchased to use with the box to connect it via wire to a Mini, if an Ethernet connection is not available--the 500GB box has the MoCA technology built-in.

Having said that, some people (but not all) have had success with a wireless connection between a TiVo box and a Mini, connecting the Mini to a wireless bridge; a strong home wireless network helps. Also, TiVo itself is working on a wireless adapter for the Mini, slated earlier to be coming out soon.


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## UpgraderIthink (Aug 5, 2019)

Mikeguy said:


> Both boxes can connect to your Internet connection via WiFi. But for connection to a TiVo Mini, TiVo currently wants you to use either an Ethernet or a MoCA connection. And so, with the 1TB box, an external MoCA adapter would need to be purchased to use with the box to connect it via wire to a Mini, if an Ethernet connection is not available--the 500GB box has the MoCA technology built-in.
> 
> Having said that, some people (but not all) have had success with a wireless connection between a TiVo box and a Mini, connecting the Mini to a wireless bridge; a strong home wireless network helps. Also, TiVo itself is working on a wireless adapter for the Mini, slated earlier to be coming out soon.


I am hitting you with lots of questions... on different thread, as you seem to know what your talking about!

I just bought/upgraded to a Bolt 500GB Vox OTA?Cable and it appears that was the best call (from your notes above). Should get it Thursday and will do the FULL setup (to work with cable) with the existing 500GB drive (to make sure all works correctly) then take the 500GB out and put in the 3TB Toshiba everyone references and let the unit format it. MikeGuy: is there any other 'caveats or steps I should think about? (In the other foreum I asked wht some talked about MFS even with a 3TB drive)? Thanks for being online as you are helping me and many others!


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## LeeC19 (Jul 27, 2019)

Mikeguy said:


> Both boxes can connect to your Internet connection via WiFi. But for connection to a TiVo Mini, TiVo currently wants you to use either an Ethernet or a MoCA connection. And so, with the 1TB box, an external MoCA adapter would need to be purchased to use with the box to connect it via wire to a Mini, if an Ethernet connection is not available--the 500GB box has the MoCA technology built-in.
> 
> Having said that, some people (but not all) have had success with a wireless connection between a TiVo box and a Mini, connecting the Mini to a wireless bridge; a strong home wireless network helps. Also, TiVo itself is working on a wireless adapter for the Mini, slated earlier to be coming out soon.


You have been a crazy wealth of info. I really appreciate your time.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

LeeC19 said:


> Wow this is great info, thanks so much! I am anticipating a problem with Tivo, but the extended warranty damaged out the old box because it wasn't working. I did check TiVo website about transferring with a warranty swap out, so I guess we'll see.
> 
> The other box was dead, so I didn't really have a choice. I would have kept it had it worked.


Personally, I'd telephone TiVo customer service to make sure that TiVo will transfer Lifetime from the old box to the 500GB Bolt box, given the extended warranty--for me, that's the major point (you'd have to pay $550 for Lifetime otherwise, or pay for a monthly or annual subscription). And if Lifetime wouldn't be transferred under your extended warranty, I'd likely go the 1TB Bolt OTA box, where Lifetime is $250.*

Assuming that Lifetime would transfer, the real difference between the boxes, apart from the hard drive size, is some options. (They also could affect resale value, if that's at all important to you.)

* I don't know if you saw the edit to my earlier post as to Lifetime on the 1TB Bolt OTA (we were crossing messages)--while Lifetime comes as part of the_ Roamio_ OTA, there's a charge for it with the_ Bolt_ OTA: a special rate of $250 (in place of the normal $550 charge).


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## LeeC19 (Jul 27, 2019)

Mikeguy said:


> Personally, I'd telephone TiVo customer service to make sure that TiVo will transfer Lifetime from the old box to the 500GB Bolt box, given the extended warranty--for me, that's the major point (you'd have to pay $550 for Lifetime otherwise, or pay for a monthly or annual subscription). And if Lifetime wouldn't be transferred under your extended warranty, I'd likely go the 1TB Bolt OTA box, where Lifetime is $250.*
> 
> Assuming that Lifetime would transfer, the real difference between the boxes, apart from the hard drive size, is some options. (They also could affect resale value, if that's at all important to you.)
> 
> * I don't know if you saw the edit to my earlier post as to Lifetime on the 1TB Bolt OTA (we were crossing messages)--while Lifetime comes as part of the_ Roamio_ OTA, there's a charge for it with the_ Bolt_ OTA: a special rate of $250 (in place of the normal $550 charge).


At the end of the day, the box was dead. So I brought it in for service, and nothing could be done. So I had no choice but to get the swap out.

Worst case scenario, I'll have to assess my options.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

LeeC19 said:


> At the end of the day, the box was dead. So I brought it in for service, and nothing could be done. So I had no choice but to get the swap out.
> 
> Worst case scenario, I'll have to assess my options.


I'd just watch the Lifetime issue and make sure that TiVo will transfer it under the extended warranty--if not, I'd think of the 1TB Bolt OTA box over the 500GB Bolt box, given the discounted cost of Lifetime for the Bolt OTA (we're talking $300 here!).

The good news (have to think of it here), with all of this: you had the extended warranty and you're getting a new box, and to the latest model.  The Bolt isn't leaps and bounds over the Roamio (and some say that its construction is not as hardy, or don't like the bent design (I kinda do, as a change--and I have the original white color, besides, which I've grown to like, lol)), but it's a bit snappier, which always is nice, and it has 4K, which is good.

Good luck, between dealing with Best Buy and TiVo! The other good news is, others here have done this same thing, and it's worked out (with the Lifetime being transferred). Keep us advised, if you can.


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## LeeC19 (Jul 27, 2019)

Mikeguy said:


> I'd just watch the Lifetime issue and make sure that TiVo will transfer it under the extended warranty--if not, I'd think of the 1TB Bolt OTA box over the 500GB Bolt box, given the discounted cost of Lifetime for the Bolt OTA (we're talking $300 here!).
> 
> The good news (have to think of it here), with all of this: you had the extended warranty and you're getting a new box, and to the latest model.  The Bolt isn't leaps and bounds over the Roamio (and some say that its construction is not as hardy, or don't like the bent design (I kinda do, as a change--and I have the original white color, besides, which I've grown to like, lol)), but it's a bit snappier, which always is nice, and it has 4K, which is good.
> 
> Good luck, between dealing with Best Buy and TiVo! The other good news is, others here have done this same thing, and it's worked out (with the Lifetime being transferred). Keep us advised, if you can.


The Best Buy part is already done. They gave me my choice of replacement unit. I was going to choose the 1TB Bolt Vox, because I quickly pulled up something on the net which said it can do both. But when they got the box, it said 'for cable', which I thought was a weird distinction if it did both. So I went with the OTA. They didn't have in stock, so it shipped to me, which I now have.

So it's just a matter of dealing with TiVo. And I'm not gonna lie, it's daunting, because they've never been the most helpful at the best of times. But according to their website, they *do* transfer under an extended warranty swap out. So in theory it should work.

I have Ethernet throughout my place, so the MoCA isn't an issue. And the interface shouldn't be a big deal either, so I guess I'm going to stick with this OTA. I honestly can't see resubscribinng to cable, as I barely even watch tv. Which is ironic, considering how much time I'm spending on this issue. But I have a kid who does record shows, so I guess there's some value in all this effort.

I'm dreading making that call though.


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## schatham (Mar 17, 2007)

The Bolt with cable is worth more if you were to ever sell, assuming lifetime transfers over. But you state you will never go back to cable so I would get the 1TB OTA Bolt. Just make sure never means never and you won't sell.

Edit: Ah, you posted while I was writing this, so never mind.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

LeeC19 said:


> At the end of the day, the box was dead. So I brought it in for service, and nothing could be done. So I had no choice but to get the swap out.


Not just a dead hard drive?



LeeC19 said:


> are there performance differences between the hardware?


It's been stated (by @TiVo_Ted, on TCF) that the OTA-only 'BOLT OTA' has a better OTA tuner than the OTA-or-cable BOLT models, though I've seen no testing affirming or refuting the claim.


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## LeeC19 (Jul 27, 2019)

schatham said:


> The Bolt with cable is worth more if you were to ever sell, assuming lifetime transfers over. But you state you will never go back to cable so I would get the 1TB OTA Bolt. Just make sure never means never and you won't sell.


Yeah I wouldn't sell it. And the only niggle at the back of my mind is 'what if I Change my mind about cable?' But I stream everything, and I can't see going back to $100 + a month.

Hopefully it doesn't bite me in the backside down the road. We'll see.


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## LeeC19 (Jul 27, 2019)

krkaufman said:


> Not just a dead hard drive?
> 
> It's been stated (by @TiVo_Ted) that the OTA-only 'BOLT OTA' has a better OTA tuner than the OTA-or-cable BOLT models, though I've seen no testing affirming or refuting the claim.


I have no clue what was wrong with it, and they didn't tell me. I'm not the most technologically tuned in. so when they said they couldn't fix it, I figured that was that.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

LeeC19 said:


> I have no clue what was wrong with it, and they didn't tell me. I'm not the most technologically tuned in. so when they said they couldn't fix it, I figured that was that.


I see now that the "Best Buy part is done," so the box is gone, out of your hands, and the question moot.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

UpgraderIthink said:


> I am hitting you with lots of questions... on different thread, as you seem to know what your talking about!
> 
> I just bought/upgraded to a Bolt 500GB Vox OTA?Cable and it appears that was the best call (from your notes above). Should get it Thursday and will do the FULL setup (to work with cable) with the existing 500GB drive (to make sure all works correctly) then take the 500GB out and put in the 3TB Toshiba everyone references and let the unit format it. MikeGuy: is there any other 'caveats or steps I should think about? (In the other foreum I asked wht some talked about MFS even with a 3TB drive)? Thanks for being online as you are helping me and many others!


As I mentioned in the other thread, I just popped the new Toshiba 3TB drive in--I didn't have a cable adapter around to work MFS Reformatter's magic on it, and just popping the drive in has seemed to work out fine for others (and presumably, that's what TiVo is doing as well?). If I had had an adapter around, I _might_ have tried the MFS Reformatter method--but I like playing with software (sometimes to my dismay, lol).

I would just watch the YouTube Intellibeam video on the drive replacement--I found it _very_ helpful. youtube.com/watch?v=CcH8NyRDRCU iFixit also has a guide to the process. TiVo Bolt Hard Drive Replacement (WeaKnees likewise had a guide, which was more detailed.) The "hardest" part is just getting the case open--multiple credit card spacers are very handy to have around (and if a few internal plastic clips break, it doesn't really affect things). The inside of my case had an unused "channel" for the thin WiFi cable (there were wire cutouts in the case plastic)--I used that for the cable in the process, rather than the wire guide clip attached to the old hard drive, which originally had been used. Hold onto the old drive, in case there's an issue in the future. And get ready for a surprise when you turn the box back on, do the set-up, and then go to the Info. screen and see how many hours of recording space are available!


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> It's been stated (by @TiVo_Ted, on TCF) that the OTA-only 'BOLT OTA' has a better OTA tuner than the OTA-or-cable BOLT models,


Here, in the "New TiVo Bolt OTA" thread:


TiVo_Ted said:


> We removed the CableCARD connector, MOCA networking and some supporting components. Otherwise, it's the same spec as a BOLT VOX. The Roamio OTA and BOLT OTA use the same tuner, and we have lab tested them against each other to ensure that the BOLT is as good a tuner as Roamio. I have seen some comments comparing things to Premiere, but that was a completely different tuner architecture. These new silicon tuners are a bit more sensitive to lower strength stations. Some people will benefit from using an amplifier with their antenna to bump up the signal a bit.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

LeeC19 said:


> So it's just a matter of dealing with TiVo. And I'm not gonna lie, it's daunting, because they've never been the most helpful at the best of times. But according to their website, they *do* transfer under an extended warranty swap out. So in theory it should work.
> 
> I have Ethernet throughout my place, so the MoCA isn't an issue. And the interface shouldn't be a big deal either, so I guess I'm going to stick with this OTA. I honestly can't see resubscribinng to cable, as I barely even watch tv. Which is ironic, considering how much time I'm spending on this issue. But I have a kid who does record shows, so I guess there's some value in all this effort.
> 
> I'm dreading making that call though.


Yeah, I never like making the warranty calls. If it's any solace, others have posted doing the same thing as you're doing (Best Buy/Best Buy extended warranty/TiVo Lifetime transfer), and it_ did_ work out. (I don't recall the Lifetime language covering this scenario--but more importantly,_ TiVo did_.  ) Good luck!


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## miketx (Sep 22, 2005)

The 500g Bolt OTA/Cable unit has MoCA support. Critical for me with 4 Minis, all MoCA. Before I "cut the cord", I was running my Roamio Plus for MoCA.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

miketx said:


> The 500g Bolt OTA/Cable unit has MoCA support. Critical for me with 4 Minis, all MoCA. Before I "cut the cord", I was running my Roamio Plus for MoCA.


A MoCA bridge equivalent to the Roamio Plus (MoCA 1.1, GigE) can be had for $17. And some would argue it's preferable for the main MoCA bridge to not be a TiVo DVR, given TiVos typically require more reboots than network gear.


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