A round-up of TiVo Roamio launch coverage… check back for updates!
Engadget
TiVo’s new DVRs are the company’s best yet
It took more than three years, but TiVo has finally delivered the DVR we hoped for when the Premiere first came out. The Roamio Plus addresses every major gripe we had, except the lack of HDMI-CEC. The speed improvement alone makes this a must-upgrade for any Premiere owner, and finally gives all the Series3 holdouts a reason to open their wallets. Is it perfect? No. Is it the innovative TiVo we used to expect? No, there are other six-tuner DVRs with amble space already on the market. Is it the best DVR ever released that works with ATSC or CableCARD? Absolutely.
The Verge
TiVo Roamio Pro review: this is the ultimate cable box
The TiVo Roamio Pro is very much the ultimate DVR — short of building a media center PC, there isn’t another product on the market that can do as much with as much flexibility as the Roamio. Installing it can be a huge pain, and it’s outrageously expensive — on top of the box, TiVo service costs either $14.99 / month or a ridiculous $499 flat fee per unit — but if you’re spending loads of money on cable service with premium channels, it’s worth it.
Time
TiVo, say it loud: You’re a DVR, and you’re proud!
Even without the upcoming features, and with imposing competition from cheap Internet-only boxes, the Roamio models are a polished and powerful way to watch TV, on the Net and off. TiVo, say it loud: You’re a DVR, and you’re proud.
My verdict: The TiVo Roamio’s new cable-streaming features and improved software for Internet video come close to making it the only set-top box you need. But the out-of-home streaming feature doesn’t work for all cable networks and will need a lot of work to make its quality acceptable. Plus, the product is expensive for some budgets.
Variety
TiVo Punches Live Cable TV, DVR Content Outside the Home with ‘Roamio’
Trying to reinvigorate declining retail sales, TiVo is adding Slingbox-like features to the latest refresh of its DVR line to stream live TV and recordings to mobile devices — both in and out of the home — and has boosted capacity of top-end models to let TV buffs watch or record up to six shows at once.
Multichannel
TiVo’s New ‘Roamio’ Lineup Targets TV Power Users & Cord-Cutters
Thanks to an integrated transcoding chip from Zenverge, the Plus and Pro Roamio models will inherently support in-home streaming, sideloading (the ability to transfer shows and movies marked as “copy freely” from the DVR to a mobile device), and, starting this fall, out-of-home video streaming of live TV and content stored to the DVR.
TiVo is flexing its interactive TV muscles again. Three new Roamio digital video recorders that go on sale today aim to transform home TV viewing by integrating Net video favorites such as Netflix and Amazon into an improved DVR that can record up to six programs simultaneously. TiVo plans a major advertising push for the new Roamio products and the company has also revamped its website.
CNET
TiVo’s new Roamio DVR aims for TV and online video nirvana in one box
With its just-announced line of Roamio DVRs, TiVo is one big step closer to an all-in-one box for live, recorded, and on-demand TV…We’re still in the middle of testing the TiVo Roamio Pro and plan to have a full review up soon. So far it’s a very impressive DVR and certainly the best TiVo to date.
Gigaom
New Series 5 TiVos get HTML5 apps, Chromecast-like controls and an Opera app store
TiVo is updating its lineup of digital video recorders with three new devices that will feature out-of-home streaming as well as the latest apps from Netflix and YouTube, with additional apps from Vimeo and others coming in the near future. And thanks to support for DIAL, users will also be able to control these apps with their mobile devices, much like it’s now possible with Google’s Chromecast….
The Washington Post
TiVo refreshes lineup with 6-tuner DVRs, more customization of listings, viewing on iPads
TiVo Inc. announced a new line of digital video recorders Tuesday to give television viewers more control over what they watch on traditional channels and over the Internet.
The fifth-generation DVRs from the company that pioneered the devices come as consumers have a growing number of choices for finding and watching TV shows and movies.
Bloomberg
TiVo Updates Set-Top Boxes in Bid to Boost Retail Sales
TiVo Inc. (TIVO), looking to stem a decline in retail sales of its digital video recorders, introduced new set-top boxes that offer more storage space and greater ability to stream shows to mobile devices.
The Roamio line, which goes on sale today, replaces TiVo’s Premiere models with features like Wi-fi that were previously sold separately, according to a statement. A faster processor means services like Netflix will take less time to appear on screens, and customers can record as many as six programs at a time, storing as much as 450 hours of HD content.
WSJ
TiVo Hopes To Make Users Swoon With Roamio
TiVo is overhauling its set-top boxes with a nod to Shakespeare, in the company’s latest effort to maintain and expand its influence over the living room.
The DVR pioneer calls the new products Roamio–a play on the romantic hero that the Silicon Valley company links to love of TV and the idea of roaming, or streaming content from homes to mobile devices in other locations.
VentureBeat Media Guest Post
Three thumbs up for the new TiVo Roamio DVR
The best DVRs just got a whole lot better. When I last reviewed TiVo in January, I put out a list of needed improvements. With Roamio, it’s as if the TiVo team took the review as a to-do list. Many of those improvements have been included in the new software and hardware. If you’re looking for the best TV viewing experience that money can buy, the TiVo Roamio is it.
VentureBeat
Tivo’s new Roamio DVRs can record up to six shows at once
Tivo is launching a new generation of digital video recorders today that have revamped user interfaces and can record up to six shows at once. The new machines represent one of the biggest makeovers Tivo has ever done for its lineup of television recorders.
You can expect to hear a lot about the new machines since Tivo will make a lot of noise about the new boxes. It has a seven-figure ad budget.
MIT Technology Review
TiVo’s Latest Iteration Preserves TV’s Status Quo
TiVo’s new service will surely be useful and a good value to some people. But given the exploding range of options for people to subscribe to and stream content, it’s also a means for incumbent cable companies and content providers to retain their grip on the status quo in a fast-changing TV marketplace.
All Things D
TiVo Unveils Next-Gen Roamio DVRs, Out-of-Home Streaming Coming Soon
“Breaking Bad,” “Duck Dynasty,” “Real Housewives of Orange County” — whatever your TV addiction might be, it can seem like the end of the world when you’re unable to watch your favorite show because you’re traveling or because your family or housemates are hogging all the TVs. That’s a problem TiVo is looking to solve with its new Roamio DVR platform.
TVPredictions.com
TiVo Launches Roamio DVRs With Mobile Streaming
TiVo has had difficulty in recent years generating new subscribers in the U.S. and the company’s launch of Roamio would seem to be a new dedication to be more aggressive here.
Digital Trends
TiVo officially announces Roamio DVR, records six shows at once
Detailed on the official TiVo site, the digital video recorder manufacturer announced the launch of the Roamio line of DVR set-top boxes. Replacing the TiVo Premiere line of DVR boxes, the Roamio lineup starts with a four-tuner set-top box that offers up to 75 hours of high definition recording on a 500GB hard drive. The base model will allow users to record four shows at once and includes built-in Wi-Fi to access a subscriber’s home network. All Roamio devices are compatible with the TiVo Stream, a device that allows users to access recorded shows on an Apple iPad or iPhone.
The new family of products represents TiVo’s first major upgrade to its core lineup of DVRs in two years and represents an ambitious strategy of enabling its users to record a seemingly impossible amount of channels and shows. The new devices push the limits of DVR storage while also staying true to the company’s usual look and feel, with personalization built in to help users easily discover and record the shows they love.
But overall I think you get the point: More tuners, more storage, more expensive, more better.
Gizmodo
TiVo Roamio Lightning Review: Your One-Stop Entertainment Box
You’ve got a TV, cable box, Roku or Apple TV, Blu-ray player, stereo system, and who knows what else clogging up your living room, each with its own peculiarities and taking up space. When did watching TV become so much work? TiVo’s new Roamio DVR/Cable receiver helps you do one thing we all desperately need to: simplify.
Ars Technica
TiVo Roamio: more shows, more space, more search, more streaming
TiVo this morning took the wraps off its new fifth-generation DVR boxes, collectively known as the TiVo Roamio family. As the prominent “roam” in the name implies, TiVo’s emphasis with the new line is on mobility. Customers will be able to view their recorded TV shows away from the TiVo boxes doing the recording—and not just in their homes, either.
Fast Company
TiVo Aims to Win Back Your DVR Love with Roamio
With Roamio, a new line of hybrid set-top boxes being unveiled today, the San Jose-based company is hoping to make its star-crossed customers fall in love with the real thing all over again. It’s not a coincidence that Roamio harks back to the tragic hero in Shakespeare’s famous play. “It’s a total double entendre. Roamio as in ‘O Romeo’ and love interest that’s truly there–truly for lovers of TV,” explains CEO Tom Rogers