TiVo’s Oddly-Shaped Bolt DVR Brings 4K Support, Still Eradicates Commercials
Attention binge watchers, TiVo invites you to "give commercials the finger" with its new Bolt set-top DVR. It's a play on words that describes Bolt's ability to skip entire commercial breaks with the single press of a button, at least in some cases. It's part of TiVo's new "SkipMode" feature, which allows Bolt to distinguish commercials during "certain recorded shows" from everything else.
Combined with TiVo's new QuickMode, a feature that speeds up slow-moving programs, the Bolt allows for 30 percent overall faster viewing of recorded content. When engaged, QuickMode adjusts the pitch of audio so that voices and other sounds still sound natural. TiVo reckons QuickMode will come in handy during certain recorded broadcasts that might you want to power through, like news, sports, and long award shows.
TiVo's latest set-top box supports 4K Ultra HD recording and playback. There's not a ton of 4K content out there right now, but with TV makers pushing 4K models at increasingly attractive price points, it's only a matter of time before 4K broadcasts become more common.
"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."
TiVo's Bolt looks unconventional because, as TiVo describes, "there's nothing conventional about it." Instead of traditional flat rectangular box, Bolt has an arch on the left side.
If you're sold on Bolt, you can pre-order one now. It runs $300 for a 500GB Bolt and $400 for a 1TB model, both of which will ship in early October.
Combined with TiVo's new QuickMode, a feature that speeds up slow-moving programs, the Bolt allows for 30 percent overall faster viewing of recorded content. When engaged, QuickMode adjusts the pitch of audio so that voices and other sounds still sound natural. TiVo reckons QuickMode will come in handy during certain recorded broadcasts that might you want to power through, like news, sports, and long award shows.
TiVo's latest set-top box supports 4K Ultra HD recording and playback. There's not a ton of 4K content out there right now, but with TV makers pushing 4K models at increasingly attractive price points, it's only a matter of time before 4K broadcasts become more common.
"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."
TiVo's Bolt looks unconventional because, as TiVo describes, "there's nothing conventional about it." Instead of traditional flat rectangular box, Bolt has an arch on the left side.
If you're sold on Bolt, you can pre-order one now. It runs $300 for a 500GB Bolt and $400 for a 1TB model, both of which will ship in early October.
