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

Cable is dying. Can the $50 TiVo Stream 4K save it from extinction?

Simon Cohen
By

TiVo, the company that is synonymous with the DVR, has a new product at CES 2020 that’s not a DVR at all. The TiVo Stream 4K is a streaming dongle set to debut in April for as little as $50. As the name suggests, it’s a 4K streamer based on Google’s Android TV operating system that has support for both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Among the built-in streaming apps is Dish Network’s Sling TV, as well as many of the biggest streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Vudu, and YouTube.

Recommended Videos

TiVo will sell the Stream 4K directly to consumers when it launches, but it will also be making it available to cable and satellite providers. This could help these companies hold on to their customers by giving them an easy way to maintain a cable-like experience even as they move to a broadband-only world of streaming media. The Stream 4K will have the same TiVo interface used on the company’s DVR-based products like the TiVo Edge, its recently released 4K all-in-one DVR and streaming box.

TiVo Stream 4K
Image used with permission by copyright holder

With a voice-enabled remote that looks like a miniaturized version of TiVo’s full-size, peanut-shaped DVR remote, the Stream 4K uses the same basic design as two of the leading products in the streaming device wars: Amazon’s $50 Fire TV Stick 4K and Roku’s $50 Streaming Stick+. The remote has a large Netflix button — similar to its DVR remotes — but the thumbs-up and thumbs-down buttons that have been fixtures on previous TiVo devices are gone. The Skip button, however, remains, and it is joined by a prominent Google Assistant button that appears to have replaced the microphone button from the company’s other voice-enabled remotes.

Related

In a related announcement at CES, Amazon dropped the details on its Fire TV Edition for Operators program that lets cable and satellite companies create versions of Fire TV products like the Fire TV Stick 4K that are customized for their subscribers to show merchandizse within the Fire TV interface.

TiVo Stream 4K
Image used with permission by copyright holder

While the TiVo Stream 4K may help cable companies keep some customers from leaving entirely, it’s also a Trojan Horse of sorts. TiVo’s recently launched free and ad-supported streaming service, TiVo+, is built-in to the Stream 4K, and it’s a good bet that TiVo’s recommendation engine will surface content from this service prominently within the interface.

TiVo says that there are no subscription fees required to use the Stream 4K, a departure from the company’s previous model. TiVo’s DVR-based products are only useful when you subscribe to the TiVo service, which can carry a fee of $70 per year or $250 for the lifetime of the DVR, depending on the model.

Consumers who want to get the TiVo experience throughout their homes have typically needed to buy the smaller but pricey $180 TiVo Mini (or Mini Vox) in order to access the content that sits on their main TiVo DVR. If the Stream 4K can access this content too, it might help TiVo hold on to its own subscribers as well.

Follow our live blog for more CES news and announcements.

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 spatial…
A $20 Chromecast with Google TV is perfect for this one reason
Chromecast with Google TV.

Normally, I would never recommend that someone buy a streaming device that tops out at 1080p resolution. Even if you somehow don't have a 4K TV already — I'm not judging, there are plenty of good reasons — you might well have one in the future. And at that point, it's better to not have to buy new hardware until absolutely necessary. Just go ahead and spend the extra $30 now for a 4K version.

But it's hard to say no to a $20 Chromecast with Google TV HD.

Read more
Tidal vs. Spotify: Which music streaming service has the features you need?
Tidal app for iOS on an iPhone 14 showing now playing screen with Max quality track.

Spotify is the world's leading music streaming service, with over 236 million active paid subscribers and a vast library of artists, albums, podcasts, and audiobooks. It is available on almost every desktop and mobile device. However, if you are a fan of hi-res audio, Tidal may be a better option as it emphasizes hi-res content and offers a vast collection of music and video content.

To determine which platform is better, we compared Spotify and Tidal based on price, sound quality, and supported devices.
Price
Spotify has two tiers of service for individual users. The free, ad-supported tier gives access to the entire library of Spotify content, but has restrictions on how you can interact with it and also has ads. The full-featured Premium plan costs $11 per month, which is standard for the industry now. Spotify also offers plans for two individuals for $15 per month, called Spotify Premium Duo, and a six-person family plan (with parental controls) for $17 per month. There's also a student plan at just $6 per month.

Read more
What is Qobuz? Music, features, and pricing explained
An iPhone 15 Pro showing Qobuz app.

Are you a music lover who craves the highest-quality sound possible, but can't quite afford the hefty price tag that comes with a top-of-the-line audio setup like turntables, integrated amplifiers, and hi-fi speakers? Fear not, my friend, for there is a solution -- Qobuz, the ultra-high-quality music streaming platform that will have you listening and singing to the tunes of your favorite artists in no time.

While some audiophiles may argue that physical media is the only way to achieve true sound quality, the convenience and affordability of Qobuz is hard be beat. So sit back, relax, and let us guide you through everything you need to know about this music streaming service. Just be sure to keep it on the down-low from your vinyl-collecting pals -- we wouldn't want to start a music war.
What is Qobuz?
Qobuz is a music-streaming platform with access to over 100 million songs, all of which are available in the hi-res FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) format. As far as quality goes, it’s tough to beat the kind of clarity, dynamic range, and definition you’ll hear on a Qobuz track, with the catalog being available from CD-quality (16-bit at 44.1kHz) up to 24-bit at 192kHz. 

Read more