Last week, an FCC filing revealed that TiVo was working on a new headless DVR, but while that seemed a ways off, company retail general manager said to stay tuned for an announcement around CEDIA 2016, September 13-17. The company has made good on the promise with the unveiling of its 4K Bolt+ DVR, the successor to the original Bolt, released in 2015.
In our review of the original Bolt, we called it the best DVR the company had ever made up until that point. The Bolt+ seems as if it stands a good chance of carrying on that tradition, keeping the 4K resolution of the original, but upping the tuner count to six, compared to the four found in the original model, and boasting 3TB of built-in storage.
“With the TiVo Bolt+, our goal is to deliver the best DVR ever sold to consumers and continue to deliver a product with features that provide great value for our resell partners. The 4K TiVo Bolt+ is the all-in-one video system people have been waiting for,” general manager of TiVo retail products Ira Bahr said in a statement. “The ultimate multiroom video setup, TiVo Bolt+ eliminates some of the install hassle resellers run into including expensive matrix switchers, while providing the unified entertainment features that users have come to expect and are excited about.”
The Bolt+ features the company’s vaunted skip mode, allowing viewers to skip commercials with a single button press. Meanwhile QuickMode allows for watching recorded content up to 30 percent faster, with pitch-corrected audio ensuring the actors don’t sound like cartoon characters (unless they are, in fact, actually cartoon carriers).
In addition to more standard DVR features, the Bolt+ also features Remote Access, allowing viewers to watch recorded shows from a mobile device while away from home. Last year, certain TiVo models gained the ability to function as a Plex client, and the Bolt+ features this capability out of the box.
The TiVo Bolt+ will sell for $500, and will be available beginning September 15 via the TiVo website and Amazon, as well as Magnolia and other retail locations. The new DVR will also be on display at TiVo’s booth at CEDIA 2016 in Dallas, from September 13 to 17.
