Pictured above is the TiVo Bolt OTA
As of September 2019, TiVo only has one OTA DVR product in production – The TiVo Bolt OTA, however you can still find refurbished versions of their older model the Roamio OTA for sale on Amazon. These refurbished units are actually quite popular because they include a lifetime subscription to the TiVo programming guide service, so there are no monthly fees.
So what’s the difference between the Bolt and the Roamio OTA?
- Input Signals– The Bolt can take input signals from digital cable, antenna, and streaming services (like Netflix, Hulu, etc…), whereas the Roamio OTA can only take signals from antenna and streaming services. If you’re a cordcutter without a cable or satellite subscription, there’s not much reason to consider the Bolt.
- Lifetime Subscription Price – In order to keep your TiVo working properly, you’ll need to either pay for a lifetime subscription or pay annually. As mentioned earlier, the refurbished Roamio OTA 1TB model includes a lifetime subscription that was purchased by the original owner. In contrast, for the Bolt, the lifetime subscription (they call it the “all-in plan”) is an additional $549.99. You can also subscribe annually for $149.99/annually, or $14.99/mo. The fine print on the plans is here.
So, if you actually cut the cord, of the TiVo’s, the TiVo Roamio OTA is most likely you’re best choice. For other OTA DVR choices from other companies, check out my comparison page.
Rumored Upcoming OTA DVRs from TiVo
Update from Sept. 1, 2019 – There are reports that TiVo will be coming out soon with a new series of DVRs called TiVo Edge, which will include both CableCard and OTA versions. Pricing will probably remain similar to the Bolt series, but it is always a good sign to see that TiVo is continuing to develop new OTA DVR hardware products.