TiVo makes the DVR sexy with 4K content, AirPlay and one-click commercial skipping

The DVR has become an instrumental piece of nearly every respectable home theater setup. With streaming services like Netflix and Hulu offering an on demand approach, many consumers expect the same from their cable or satellite service. TiVo started this revolution back in 1999 but since then its set-top boxes have largely remained the same in design and function.

Today, TiVo announced the Bolt, a new DVR that sports a stunning new design and is loaded with features. This is the first product from TiVo in years that has truly caught my attention and has me reaching for my wallet. 

The physical design of the TiVo Bolt looks unlike any DVR that we have ever seen. It has a slightly curved design that actually offers as much function as form. This allows for the set-top box to receive airflow on the bottom, resulting in a cooler and quieter experience overall. It has four tuners built-in and support for OTA antennas as well. Additionally, TiVo has dropped all of its analog outputs in favor of one HDMI port.

TiVo’s biggest advancements come on the software side of the Bolt. A new “SkipMode” allows viewers to bypass the section of their recordings that show commercials. A small green icon pops up on the screen when this feature is supported and a push of the D button automatically skips the commercials. SkipMode functionality is only available for popular primetime shows on certain networks between 4PM and midnight. This feature is achieved by having TiVo’s staff actually watch certain shows and mark where commercials begin and end. That information is automatically downloaded into your recordings for playback.

TiVo is also making the jump to 4K content and will support two apps at launch: Netflix and YouTube. We would expect the inventory of content to grow as more sources become available and apps are written for the TiVo platform. The iOS app now has AirPlay support so viewers can stream content to an Apple TV in a second room if you’d prefer to not buy TiVo’s Mini set-top box to extend your setup.

Another big piece of the puzzle is TiVo’s inclusion of the first year of service with each new Bolt. This takes some of the pressure off consumers who may have shied away from TiVo’s previously monthly or lifetime subscription plans. The TiVo Bolt is available for pre-order today in 500GB ($299) or 1TB ($399) capacities and is set to ship this weekend.

More New Toys of the Day:

• Keurig’s new KOLD brewer lets you make Coca-Cola at home but it’s going to cost you
• GoPro introduces a new cost-effective action camera with Wi-Fi capabilities
• You can make the new J-Force electric surfboard go 0-35MPH with the bend of your finger
• Kwikset drops the extras on its new internet-connected deadbolt lock to hit a lower price point
• Skreens combines your DVR, Xbox One, Roku and more onto one screen

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Give Commercials the Finger: TiVo Introduces TiVo BOLT

SAN JOSE, CA–(Marketwired – Sep 30, 2015) – TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), a leading innovator in the advanced television space, today introduced the TiVo BOLT, the most advanced television-viewing experience available.

The TiVo BOLT is all about speed, getting viewers to and through their content faster than ever. BOLT allows viewers to skip entire commercial breaks in a single bound at the press of a button. BOLT’s ability to skip entire commercial breaks of certain recorded shows with TiVo’s new SkipModefeature is a breakthrough that distinguishes BOLT from everything else.¹

The TiVo BOLT is born to binge, unifying the source of any available program from cable, video on demand, OTA, and OTT, while providing a way to watch without commercials. BOLT delivers TiVo’s renowned universal search and consumption across all your channels and streaming providers² — not just the app world of over-the-top content.

The combination of SkipMode with the new QuickMode, which allows for 30% faster viewing of recorded shows while maintaining perfect audio, enables the average viewer to potentially recapture a month of time in one’s life each year. In addition to saving all that time, TiVo can save subscribers money — particularly as a household with multiple TVs — by getting out from under the rental charges of boxes from your cable operator.

The combination of BOLT’s accompanying mobile apps, together with features planned to be added in the coming months, enables an ever-increasing number of the personalization features that will get viewers to the most highly relevant content faster than ever. These personalization features include recommendations from friends and family, selections of top critics, and the latest videos related to one’s hobbies and interests — including the latest music video release in viewers’ favorite genres.

“The TiVo BOLT arrives at a time of piqued interest in both connected devices and commercial avoidance,” said Tom Rogers, TiVo’s President and CEO. “The clear demand of consumers is for a TV experience that quickly delivers them exactly what they want the instant they turn on the screen. BOLT is a game changer that will remind people of how they felt the first time they experienced digital recording.”

“BOLT was designed to meet the requirements of a new generation of TV viewers,” said Ira Bahr, TiVo’s Chief Marketing and Retail Sales Officer. “Smaller form factor, 4K compatibility, single-screen integration of cable or over-the-air, plus streaming apps, the ability to take your content anywhere — and for the first time, the ability to precisely jump commercial breaks at the touch of a button.”

In addition to TiVo-pioneered DVR and streaming capabilities, the TiVo BOLT features:

• Fast-forwarding is a thing of the past – SkipMode introduces the speed and convenience of skipping non-program content in certain recorded shows at the press of a single button.¹ This new feature transports you past commercial interruptions and takes you back to your recorded show in an instant. With TiVo, you get to watch what you want and immediately skip over the stuff you don’t.
• Watch content faster than ever – QuickMode lets you watch recorded shows 30 percent faster — without audio distortion. QuickMode’s pitch-corrected audio lets you comfortably speed through slow-moving programs like news, sports, and overly long award shows.
• 4K – The TiVo BOLT is the first product of its kind on the market to provide 4K compatibility.³ With 4K Ultra HD resolution, your eyes will feast on a viewing experience that’s so vivid and lifelike, it’ll blur the line between you and your content.
• New look and feel – With its new design, color and feel, this product transcends the conventional streaming device or set-top box. The TiVo BOLT captures the essence of TiVo in its simplicity, high usability, and the bold experience the device delivers, which led to its natural flow design that embodies all the same characteristics. The idea of making a statement while reducing complexity was the fundamental motivation for the TiVo BOLT’s form factor.

The TiVo BOLT is also equipped with TiVo feature favorites, including:

• OnePass™ – TiVo’s universal search finds what you want, regardless of the source of a program. The best of entertainment from cable, video on demand, over-the-air, and over-the-top streaming services is all organized and provided in a way to watch without commercials. The TiVo BOLT combines this search with the easy ability to view content across all your channels and streaming providers — not just the app world of over-the-top content.
• Collections – TiVo’s Collections organize the best that television and the web have to offer — all grouped into easy-to-scan categories. From ‘Citizen Kane’ to ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’ all are a snap to find and watch with Collections where you can automatically record Academy Award® recipients from any year. Automatically record Emmy® Award recipients, Sundance Film Festival® awardees, and box sets, and take advantage of the many ways to capture award-winning movies and TV with the press of a single button.

Fall updates:

• Getting Personal – A Fall update will deliver new features to TiVo’s iOS app that will allow you to create a personalized ‘What to Watch’ screen by selecting categories based on your hobbies and interests. Content matching your interests will then populate your ‘My Shows’ folder.
• Share with Friends – TiVo is taking social sharing to the next level. This update will allow you to share a link to your favorite show with all your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter and more. Upon clicking on that link, TiVo will take your friends to a page on an iOS or Android^™ device or on the Web indicating where they can watch that show.
• TiVo Online – Creating OnePass selections will be easier than ever on TiVo Online with OnePass Quick Select. Upon updating, OnePass will include default options highlighting your favorite programs with a single click.

Availability & Pricing
TiVo BOLT 500 GB is available for $299.99⁴, including a first year of annual service^*, and TiVo BOLT 1000 GB is available for $399.99⁴, with a first-year of annual service.^* TiVo BOLT will be available September 30, 2015 at TiVo.com, BestBuy.com and Amazon.com, and in stores starting October 4, 2015 at Best Buy, Magnolia Home Theater and Magnolia Design Centers.

*TiVo service is required and automatically charged separately, at the then-published price (currently $149.99, plus any applicable taxes), at the conclusion of the one year of TiVo service included at purchase. Cable and streaming services subscription required for cable and web-delivered programming, and are not included in TiVo service subscription.

About TiVo Inc.
TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO) is a global leader in next-generation television services. With global headquarters in San Jose, CA and offices in New York, NY, Boston, MA, Durham, NC, and Warsaw, Poland, TiVo’s innovative cloud-based Software-as-a-Service solutions enable viewers to consume content across multiple screens in and out-of-the home. The TiVo solution provides an all-in-one approach for navigating the ‘content chaos’ by seamlessly combining live, recorded, on-demand and over-the-top television into one intuitive user interface with simple universal search, discovery, viewing and recording from a variety of devices, creating the ultimate viewing experience. TiVo products and services are available at retail or through a growing number of pay-TV operators worldwide. TiVo’s multiple subsidiary companies provide the broader television industry and consumer electronics manufacturers with STB, cloud-based video discovery and recommendation options, interactive advertising solutions, and audience research and measurement services. More information at: www.TiVo.com.

¹ SkipMode feature is not available for all recorded shows.
² Broadband internet connection is required to access and receive streaming content. Availability of third-party content from streaming sources is subject to change, and certain third-party fees may apply.
³ Not all programming is available in 4K resolution; additional third-party fees may apply.
⁴ Plus any applicable taxes.

TiVo, the TiVo logo, the TiVo silhouette logo, TiVo BOLT, SkipMode, QuickMode and OnePass are trademarks or registered trademarks of TiVo Inc. or its subsidiaries worldwide. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Emmy is a registered trademark of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Sundance Film Festival is a registered trademark of the Sundance Institute. Android is a trademark or registered trademark of Google Inc. Other company, product and brand names, logos and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

[/9to5-press-release]

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