# Can Tivo Bolt function like a Tivo Mini?



## jefev (Jan 24, 2007)

Currently, I have a Tivo network with Roamio Pro 6-tuner as my main Tivo with three Minis.

With the $99 lifetime transfer, I am planning on upgrading my old Series 3 with lifetime to a Bolt (500GB) with lifetime.

I would like the new Bolt to be used as an OTA device *and* be able to share Live TV tuners from/to my main Roamio Pro (similar to the Mini functionality). Does anyone know if this is possible?

Instead of purchasing another Mini ($150), the Bolt with lifetime transfer option ($300) is a better value proposition.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

I am not sure I fully understand your question (and I do not yet have two Bolts in the house to test). But I did briefly have two Bolts at the same time a few months back when I had to get a warranty replacement, so my answer is based on what I remember from then.

I was very impressed with the speed of interconnection between the Bolts at 1Gb. Full HD programs could be copied super quick, but they did not really NEED to be copied, because the Bolts would stream from one to the other in real time, just as I think a Mini does (I do not yet have one of those, either). 

The part that really confuses me is why you would even WANT one Bolt to share tuners with another TiVo? The beauty of having two Bolts is that you would then have at least 8 tuners available all the time, and ANY of them could be accessed by any Mini you had, AND any shows recorded on either box could be accessed by any other TiVo device you have on the same network and TiVo account. But it looks like you are thinking of having one box on cable and one on OTA, so maybe that explains it? I suspect it will work as you desire, but worst case scenario might be simply to have box "A" start recording the tuner you want to watch from box "B" so that you could then just stream that on-going recording. But that assumes you can stream an active recording, which I do not actually know (but I do know that you cannot COPY a program until the recording is finished, so maybe you cannot stream it either?).

So I guess my entire answer is just speculation for you. Sorry about that, but since I have already typed it in, I'll leave it here for whatever it might be worth.


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## jefev (Jan 24, 2007)

You are correct, I would like to setup one Tivo (Roamio Pro - 6 tuners) for cable and one Tivo for OTA (a Bolt 500GB - 4 tuners). The Tivo Minis would be able to view Live TV on either of these devices, and present the guide data for each, as designed. I would like the ability to view the guide and Live TV on the Roamio (cable) from the Bolt (OTA) and vice-versa, instead of requiring another Tivo Mini to be located in the same room as the Roamio or Bolt, and without the need to start a recording on the Roamio or Bolt to be able to stream between the Roamio and Bolt.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

jefev said:


> I would like the new Bolt to be used as an OTA device *and* be able to share Live TV tuners from/to my main Roamio Pro (similar to the Mini functionality).


Shows can be streamed as soon as they start recording, as opposed to the older MRV transfer approach; however, a DVR cannot assume a tuner from another DVR for live TV viewing. But then I'm not even sure how one would access the guide listing for the remote DVR from another DVR.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

krkaufman said:


> But then I'm not even sure how one would access the guide listing for the remote DVR from another DVR.


I seem to recall reading that there is a way to do that (or something close to it) when you want to set up a remote recording on the other box - maybe from the Search function?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

V7Goose said:


> I seem to recall reading that there is a way to do that (or something close to it) when you want to set up a remote recording on the other box - maybe from the Search function?


Yeah, I've seen mention of ways to setup a remote recording, but, again, it wouldn't work for live TV viewing sans recording, and would almost certainly fail user acceptance testing.


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## samdglvr (Jul 31, 2010)

Hi, I am also thinking of upgrading to a bolt. My question is I am moving to an area with no cable, is there any way a bolt can work with satellite? Because I would like to go with the bolt+, but my only option would be the bolt 1TB, where i could at least record with antenna.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

samdglvr said:


> Hi, I am also thinking of upgrading to a bolt. My question is I am moving to an area with no cable, is there any way a bolt can work with satellite? Because I would like to go with the bolt+, but my only option would be the bolt 1TB, where i could at least record with antenna.


No recent TiVo device is compatible w/ satellite providers. I'm not sure anything after the Series 2 is.

If you don't have access to a cable provider, a BOLT for OTA antenna reception/tuning would be your only option (within the scope of the upgrade offer), either the 500GB or 1TB model.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

krkaufman said:


> Shows can be streamed as soon as they start recording, as opposed to the older MRV transfer approach; however, a DVR cannot assume a tuner from another DVR for live TV viewing. But then I'm not even sure how one would access the guide listing for the remote DVR from another DVR.





V7Goose said:


> I seem to recall reading that there is a way to do that (or something close to it) when you want to set up a remote recording on the other box - maybe from the Search function?


A few of us explored this topic (painfully) a few months ago, and there are ways to get to the goal.

On the local box: My Shows, Devices, [the target box], Guide button, navigate to what you want to record, Select it or press Record, OnePass & other options--you now will see the target box identified in the upper left and can choose to record onto that box, set a OP, etc. Way nifty. 

There are limits to this, and I don't recall all the permutations--it has to do with the channel line-ups between the 2 boxes. My boxes all have the same channel line-up and so I don't have any complications. But if the boxes have different line-ups, your target box recordings via the Guide this way are limited to the line-up under the local Guide. (Likewise, you can't record on the target box shows on your local line-up but not on the target line-up.) I think I'm recalling this correctly; there may some other differing channel line-up limitations as well.

Shows also can be set to record on a target box by searching for a show: after hitting Guide above, hit Enter, and you now have a search screen (as identified at the upper-left) for the target box. This is a way to get around the above channel line-up discrepancy issue.

Just found the earlier thread on this: Program 2nd Tivo to record from 1st Tivo's search results?.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Mikeguy said:


> Shows also can be set to record on a target box by searching for a show: after hitting Guide above, hit Enter, and you now have a search screen (as identified at the upper-left) for the target box. This is a way to get around the above channel line-up discrepancy issue.
> 
> Just found the earlier thread on this: Program 2nd Tivo to record from 1st Tivo's search results?.


Just to be clear, the guide setting/display, when using Search, is not important. Only the checked channels are used, so a guide set to Favorites on either box doesn't matter. I check many more channels than I display on my guide. With two Roamio units, I frequently set the "other" box to record something.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

JoeKustra said:


> Just to be clear, the guide setting/display, when using Search, is not important. Only the checked channels are used, so a guide set to Favorites on either box doesn't matter. I check many more channels than I display on my guide. With two Roamio units, I frequently set the "other" box to record something.


Yep, and so the Search method can get around a Guide discrepancy. (I don't have that, as the Guides on my boxes are identical.)


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## Kimo (Aug 3, 2002)

jefev said:


> You are correct, I would like to setup one Tivo (Roamio Pro - 6 tuners) for cable and one Tivo for OTA (a Bolt 500GB - 4 tuners). The Tivo Minis would be able to view Live TV on either of these devices, and present the guide data for each, as designed. I would like the ability to view the guide and Live TV on the Roamio (cable) from the Bolt (OTA) and vice-versa, instead of requiring another Tivo Mini to be located in the same room as the Roamio or Bolt, and without the need to start a recording on the Roamio or Bolt to be able to stream between the Roamio and Bolt.


I have the same, or a very similar, question - and the TiVo Customer Support reps are all over the board on this one. Stated perhaps a bit differently, I want to upgrade 4 Series 3 HDs up to 4 Bolts - all on the same Ethernet network. While all of the Series 3 HDs have cable cards and receive both guide data and signal, all of them are also configured for simultaneous OTA reception and receive OTA guide data and signal. This means that when the Baltimore Ravens are playing on cable and therefore pre-empting the Redskins, I can simply switch to OTA on any Series 3 HD and pick up the Redskins on my DC network affiliate via OTA. I can do this in any room I happen to be in.

Since the Bolt is either/or for OTA/Cablecard, I lose this functionality unless I can find a workaround. While I suppose I could purchase a Mini and tap into live streaming OTA from the 'Source' OTA Bolt, I'd much prefer to do this via one of the other 'Target' Cablecard Bolts itself. It appears that - unlike the Mini - I'd actually need to initiate an OTA recording of the Redskins game at the Host OTA Bolt, and then stream that - while recording - to one of the other Bolts. Kind of a PITA, but doable in the case of the random football game. The problem, however, is the reverse case, i.e. that that Source OTA Bolt will be forever limited only to OTA, and I'll not be able to watch on that Bolt live CABLE streams from the other Bolts *unless they too are recording*. Is that right? That may be a deal-breaker. Any other suggestions that would allow full functionality across all Bolts while still retaining occasional ability to stream OTA from the Source Bolt to the other Client Bolts?
Or any way of converting a Bolt to accept both Cable and OTA signals, as the Series 3 HDs do?
Thanks


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Kimo said:


> The problem, however, is the reverse case, i.e. that that Source OTA Bolt will be forever limited only to OTA, and I'll not be able to watch on that Bolt live CABLE streams from the other Bolts *unless they too are recording*. Is that right?


That's my understanding, from what I've read here in the past in a comparison of a full box or a Mini as a satellite device, as a satellite full box does not receive live streaming in and of itself (as opposed to receiving a streaming recording). Of course, the source OTA box can be re-set as a cable box, but then your other cable boxes lose the ability to grab an on-going OTA recording.

I guess what you could do is, put the least expensive OTA box you can find (Roamio OTA?) in a location simply to feed OTA to your other boxes, or in your least-used location. Or, put a Mini along with the OTA source box, to stream cable from one of the cable boxes.


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## Kimo (Aug 3, 2002)

Mikeguy said:


> I guess what you could do is <...snip...> put a Mini along with the OTA source box, to stream cable from one of the cable boxes.


Thanks for the confirmation and the suggestion. I'm thinking that a Mini collocated with the OTA Bolt might be the most logical and cost effective workaround, and my A/V amp/receiver will allow for a couple more HDMI inputs to feed the TV in that room.

My hesitation, however, is in taking down a perfectly functioning networked system - albeit nearly ten year old technology with non-current functionality - and replacing it with the latest and greatest, but subjecting myself to the attendant set-up headaches, i.e. Cablecard resynchs, Harmony Ultimate remote reprogramming, new GUI learning curve, etc. I hope I am not being seduced into problems and regrets by the admittedly extraordinary lifetime service transfer promo, as the Amazon reviews for the Bolt are definitely not unanimous in acclaim.

PS - Mikeguy, in your post above, which is the "Target" box?, i.e. " _My Shows, Devices, [the *target box*], Guide button, navigate to what you want to record, Select it or press Record, OnePass & other options--you now will see the target box identified in the upper left and can choose to record onto that box, set a OP, etc. Way nifty._" If I want to watch the Redskins OTA signal from an OTA box on a non-OTA box, is the "Target" box the OTA box in your example? Thanks


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Kimo said:


> Thanks for the confirmation and the suggestion. I'm thinking that a Mini collocated with the OTA Bolt might be the most logical and cost effective workaround, and my A/V amp/receiver will allow for a couple more HDMI inputs to feed the TV in that room.
> 
> My hesitation, however, is in taking down a perfectly functioning networked system - albeit nearly ten year old technology with non-current functionality - and replacing it with the latest and greatest, but subjecting myself to the attendant set-up headaches, i.e. Cablecard resynchs, Harmony Ultimate remote reprogramming, new GUI learning curve, etc. I hope I am not being seduced into problems and regrets by the admittedly extraordinary lifetime service transfer promo, as the Amazon reviews for the Bolt are definitely not unanimous in acclaim.


I agree with and feel your hesitation--more set-up hassle. But the deal is so nice (and, presumably, fleeting), as you said. 

I must say, given your needs, I like the idea of adding a Mini to the mix, as odd as it sounds to me to have a Mini sitting next to a main box (although I know that others have done this, such as for Slingbox use purposes). But especially nice if you can pick up a used Mini for that purpose.


> PS - Mikeguy, in your post above, which is the "Target" box?, i.e. " _My Shows, Devices, [the *target box*], Guide button, navigate to what you want to record, Select it or press Record, OnePass & other options--you now will see the target box identified in the upper left and can choose to record onto that box, set a OP, etc. Way nifty._" If I want to watch the Redskins OTA signal from an OTA box on a non-OTA box, is the "Target" box the OTA box in your example? Thanks


The above is for using the TiVo and TV you're in front of to set a recording to be made on a TiVo in a different room; the "target box" is the TiVo box listed under the My Shows Devices listing that you want the show to be recorded onto.

To simply watch a show that's already been recorded, it's easier: choose, from the TiVo/TV you're in front of, the box that holds the recording, under the My Shows/Devices listing; that'll bring up the My Shows listing for the other box, and then you can select a show that you want to watch from that other box's recordings and watch it on the box and TV you're in front of.

Going to what I think you're in part getting at, remember that a TiVo box can't live stream a show to another TiVo box, what you can do with a TiVo and Mini. You "get around" that limitation with 2 TiVo boxes by starting a recording on one box and then using the 2nd box to stream the recording being made, as it is being made, onto that 2nd box. I don't know if you're thinking about this now, but the above system to use one TiVo to schedule a recording on another works "most fully" if the 2 boxes have the same channel line-up. If the 2 boxes have different line-ups, and if you are using the above "Guide method" to schedule a recording on a TiVo in another room, there could be complications, as the Guide you see in front of you is the Guide for the box in front of you, not the Guide for the other room's box, and so will not show shows that only appear on the other box's Guide. And so, if you're in front of your cable TiVo, the Guide you pull up is not going to show the OTA box's Guide and line-up so that you can schedule a recording on that box. (I have it easy: my boxes are all OTA and have the same channels/line-up, and so there's no issue.)

The solutions, I think: go to the OTA box and start the recording there (feet are great things, lol); you then can stream the recording, as it's being made, onto the cable box/TV. Or: start the recording on the OTA box using the TiVo online interface, or the TiVo app on an iOS or Android device. Or (and here I'm not certain): I don't know/recall if you can use the alternate Guide *search* method to set a recording on another TiVo, where one box is a cable box and the other an OTA box. The above-linked separate thead, Program 2nd Tivo to record from 1st Tivo's search results?, gets into the situation where the 2 boxes have separate line-ups--where searching for a program will work--but I don't know if that applies between a cable box/line-up and an OTA box/lineup, as the Guides for the 2 are different. My guess is that it doesn't, for that reason, but I don't have that situation to test it out (and, candidly, my brain is spinning a bit right now from lack of protein--time to remedy that)--JoeKustra likely will know/have a better idea.

Sorry for the long exposition--just, complications.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Kimo said:


> I'm thinking that a Mini collocated with the OTA Bolt might be the most logical and cost effective workaround


You may find that co-locating the OTA-sourced BOLT with one of your CableCARD'd DVRs would work best, from a usability standpoint, and having one location be just a Mini.


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## Kimo (Aug 3, 2002)

Mikeguy said:


> I agree with and feel your hesitation--more set-up hassle. But the deal is so nice (and, presumably, fleeting), as you said.
> 
> I must say, given your needs, I like the idea of adding a Mini to the mix, as odd as it sounds to me to have a Mini sitting next to a main box (although I know that others have done this, such as for Slingbox use purposes). . . . Sorry for the long exposition--just, complications.


No - thank YOU for the validation of my assumptions, and for the advice. I understand the 'target' description now, and FEET may be the easiset - although LOW TECH - solution to my issue. That said, I'm also thinking that crafting an OTA box search to auto-record Redskins NFL GAMES specifically (and not everything with 'Redskins' in the title) may save a little wear and tear on the feet and knees.



krkaufman said:


> You may find that co-locating the OTA-sourced BOLT with one of your CableCARD'd DVRs would work best, from a usability standpoint, and having one location be just a Mini.


I'm still considering that, and it may turn out to go that way.
But while devoting one lifetime subscription box and one Mini box to the same cabinet is a bit of an irritant to me, devoting two lifetime subscription boxes to the same cabinet that formerly housed just one definitely offends my sensibilities - perhaps I just need to get over that (or give up on the Redskins, as I've been threatening to do for 20 years).

Thanks to both for your responses. I've ordered four Bolt upgrades (from TiVo) and one Mini (new, from Amazon).


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Kimo said:


> No - thank YOU for the validation of my assumptions, and for the advice. I understand the 'target' description now, and FEET may be the easiset - although LOW TECH - solution to my issue. That said, I'm also thinking that crafting an OTA box search to auto-record Redskins NFL GAMES specifically (and not everything with 'Redskins' in the title) may save a little wear and tear on the feet and knees.
> 
> I'm still considering that, and it may turn out to go that way.
> But while devoting one lifetime subscription box and one Mini box to the same cabinet is a bit of an irritant to me, devoting two lifetime subscription boxes to the same cabinet that formerly housed just one definitely offends my sensibilities - perhaps I just need to get over that (or give up on the Redskins, as I've been threatening to do for 20 years).
> ...


I understand the offense to your sensibilities, and share that.  Too bad that TiVo abandoned the earlier dual/same time OTA/cable capability--I think that many would like it.

The good news is, you're covered every which way, now. You can play with the configuration and choose what you like best.

But jeez--_four_ new Bolts, and through the upgrade offer? Wow!  Good for you, and good for TiVo!

P.S. Good idea about setting an autorecord. And hey, why not, as you were thinking, set the new OTA box for a broad "Redskins" search-and-record option--you'll have 500GB of space for it!


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Kimo said:


> devoting two lifetime subscription boxes to the same cabinet that formerly housed just one definitely offends my sensibilities


But going from 2 either/or tuners to 8 tuners (4 CC, 4 OTA) is another way of looking at it that may ease your pain. Sounds like you'll have the necessary equipment and will be able to experiment to find an arrangement that will work best for you. Have fun...!

(My approach was to load a single 6-tuner Roamio Pro w/ an 8TB drive, an OTA Roamio w/ 3 TB, and 8 Minis typically hosted by the Pro. We're mostly a recorded-content-only house, w/ minimal live viewing.)


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

krkaufman said:


> But going from 2 either/or tuners to 8 tuners (4 CC, 4 OTA) is another way of looking at it that may ease your pain. Sounds like you'll have the necessary equipment and will be able to experiment to find an arrangement that will work best for you. Have fun...!
> 
> (My approach was to load a single 6-tuner Roamio Pro w/ an 8TB drive, an OTA Roamio w/ 3 TB, and *8 Minis *typically hosted by the Pro. We're mostly a recorded-content-only house, w/ minimal live viewing.)


Wow--I'm not sure I even have that many rooms.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Mikeguy said:


> Wow--I'm not sure I even have that many rooms.


Well, neither do I. It's my sister's place, and we (she) used to have one more Mini, before the recumbent exercise bike was moved over to my mom's for her hip surgery recuperation. (Though I may be adding it back, soon, as a Slingbox-dedicated Mini.) The sales on Minis a couple years back didn't help.


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## Kimo (Aug 3, 2002)

krkaufman said:


> But going from 2 either/or tuners to 8 tuners (4 CC, 4 OTA) is another way of looking at it that may ease your pain. Sounds like you'll have the necessary equipment and will be able to experiment to find an arrangement that will work best for you. Have fun...!
> 
> (My approach was to load a single 6-tuner Roamio Pro w/ an 8TB drive, an OTA Roamio w/ 3 TB, and 8 Minis typically hosted by the Pro. We're mostly a recorded-content-only house, w/ minimal live viewing.)





Mikeguy said:


> Wow--I'm not sure I even have that many rooms.


Ha - that's some serious TiVo action!!
I suppose the capacity and multiple tuner functionality is easy to lose sight of. 
Though I'm listed as a New Member, you can see from the 2002 join date that I've also been around here for a LONG time - but haven't been active in a long time either. I'm not sure why it says only 18 posts, but recall that I once went by the handle BlipBlip - may still have an active account under that handle  
I remember my wife purchasing this odd recording device as a present for me back in the very late '90s - something called a TiVo - it had a 14 hour recording capacity and cost about $750 bucks!! I thought she was nuts. 
Our TiVo customer account number is very very low, and we've always kept at least three or four active lifetime boxes since that original TiVo Series 1 14 hour box - it may still be down in storage somewhere. Our last major upgrade was about 7 or 8 years ago when we went to HD boxes. They have been virtually trouble free. I hope these Bolts are too.
Thanks guys.


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## WPO (Jul 6, 2018)

I have the same question but for a much more basic reason. I would like the Bolt to function as a mini so as not to have to pay for an additional cable card ($ 8-9 per month). If I understand this thread I have to start a recording on the main TiVo and then it would show up in my shows. No way to get a guide on the Bolt.?

The reality of this is that it’s probably not very practical and I probably should reconfigure just going to a Mini but I’d like any thoughts others may have .


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

WPO said:


> I have the same question but for a much more basic reason. I would like the Bolt to function as a mini so as not to have to pay for an additional cable card ($ 8-9 per month). If I understand this thread I have to start a recording on the main TiVo and then it would show up in my shows. No way to get a guide on the Bolt.?
> The reality of this is that it's probably not very practical and I probably should reconfigure just going to a Mini but I'd like any thoughts others may have .


I would buy a used Mini and see if it fills your needs. You can get a guide on the second Bolt w/o a cable card, but it won't do anything except be a guide. As long as a TiVo has service it can get a guide. There are things that come over the internet (guide, clock, Search) and things that come from the cable (content).


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