Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

‘Skip these commercials!’ The Bolt Vox is the first TiVo you can talk to

Simon Cohen
By

tivo bolt vox mini voice control feat
Just in case you’ve been living on a desert island for the last two years, allow us to catch you up: Voice interfaces are the latest tech trend and they’re showing up everywhere, from smartphones to smart speakers. As of Tuesday, even your favorite DVR is getting in on the voice action: TiVo is adding two new products to its Bolt line up, with the Bolt Vox, and Mini Vox, confirming earlier rumors.

Both devices come with TiVo’s new Vox remote, with a nearly identical layout to previous Bolt remotes except for two notable additions, including a prominent light-blue microphone button, and — for the first time on a TiVo remote — a dedicated Netflix button.

Recommended Videos

Hitting stores, Amazon, and Tivo’s website October 29, pricing for the new hardware breaks down like so:

  • The TiVo Bolt Vox, with up to 4K Ultra HD resolution, which includes four integrated tuners starts at $200 for the 500 GB model. You can also choose a larger 1TB model for $299, or go for the gusto with the top of the line 3TB model at $499.
  • The TiVo Mini Vox, which is a companion to the Bolt Vox, letting you access content at up to 4K Ultra HD resolution on other TVs in your home, is $180.
  • You can also buy the Vox remote (available in black or white) on its own for $40. It can be used with existing Bolt boxes as-is, or with TiVo Mini and Roamio set-top boxes — but these require an additional Bluetooth module, bumping the price to $45.

TiVo has clearly done its homework on the Vox voice commands: The company incorporates the best features of Roku (with its universal search) and of Apple TV’s Siri (with the ability to refine searches by voice). You can say, “Show me movies with Tom Cruise,” then refine the query by saying things like, “Only the comedies” or “The one where he says, ‘Show me the money.’”

TiVo Bolt Vox

The voice commands also work with playback control, with commands like “Skip it,” which will automatically jump you past the ads on a recorded program. Speaking of skipping, you’ll find three new buttons on the Vox remote: A skip button (previously you had to use the “D” button to skip ads), a Netflix quick key — another Roku-inspired move — and of course the microphone button, which you need to press to initiate a voice command.

Bolt Vox and Mini Vox users will also benefit from TiVo’s latest user experience update, which makes it easier to see what’s streaming on each TiVo box in your home, while also improving some of the personalization features.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…
TiVo is working on a new DVR, but this one doesn’t plug into your TV
tivo mantis network dvr fcc filing three heroes

Last month, TiVo finally dropped the hammer on its original DVR, the Series 1, by announcing that it would no longer receive program guide updates after September. To make up for that, the company has a new model on the way, currently known as the TiVo Mantis, though how it works varies from the DVRs the company is known for.

The existence of the TiVo Mantis was revealed by an FCC filing, which was first noticed by Zatz Not Funny. The filing gives the device the model number TCD84A000, while it isn't clear if Mantis is a work-in-progress name or the actual name of the product. While the unit works similarly to previous TiVo models in that it receives and records OTA (over-the-air) broadcast television, how it is delivered is a different story.

Read more
Lifetime subscription or not, TiVo is cutting off support for its original DVR
tivo mantis network dvr fcc filing three heroes

Thanks to the proliferation of the DVR as a concept, the TiVo name may not carry the weight it once did, but it still deserves credit as the company that brought the DVR to the mainstream. Now, the first model the company sold to customers, aptly named the Series 1, is finally being retired.

TiVo broke the news to customers in an email that begin to circulate on Tuesday evening, and was shared on the TiVo Community message board. Series 1 boxes will make their final call to the company to update the TiVo guide on September 15, which will provide them with listings until the end of September. After that, this particular model of DVR will no longer be able to update its listings.

Read more
TiVo Bolt owners can now watch TV anywhere thanks to a new software update
Tivo Bolt 4K

When we reviewed the TiVo Bolt last year, we were mostly impressed, but there were a few areas in which it was lacking. Perhaps the biggest issue was that, unlike the TiVo Roamio, the Bolt didn't feature out-of-home streaming. While the older Roamio eventually gained features that launched on the Bolt, such as SkipMode and QuickMode, the newer model didn't seem to be receiving the same treatment when it came to missing features.

On Thursday, TiVo announced a software update in a blog post that brings changes and updates to a number of models, but the biggest news is that out-of-home streaming has finally come to the Bolt. With this, Bolt users can finally watch both recorded and live programming on the go via the TiVo app for iOS and Android.

Read more