Deal of the year, if this isn't a mistake! 1TB TiVo Roamio OTA *with Lifetime service* for just $149. https://t.co/ZWwXfU4Dm6 pic.twitter.com/mQb0s39kz5
— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) April 21, 2017
Archives For TiVo
The TiVo Roamio OTA is on sale for $250, including lifetime service (!) and free shipping. Two points to note: This is the older, 500GB model and it is a refurb. However, this is a fantabulous deal — the cheapest way to get one of the very best antenna experiences… a likely better investment than the TiVo Mavrik and when paired with a few TiVo Minis. If you’re more comfortable with new hardware and would appreciate another 500GB, Amazon is offering Lifetimed 1TB model for $347. (Thanks Bill!)
When TiVo pulled the page hosting Mavrik imagery, they left behind a search box… and search I did. The TiVo Mavrik is confirmed as an OTA two-tuner network accessory, a la Tablo, that will beam both live and recorded content to web browsers, mobile apps, and the Fire TV.
Mavrik plugs into your HD antenna and connects to your wireless router so you can stream live TV to your tablet, smartphone, laptop or Amazon Fire TV through your home network. Going out? Let Mavrik record your favorite shows in the cloud, so you can access them later from virtually anywhere. Access your recorded shows from the cloud at home, at work or in your hotel room on the other side of the country. Wherever you have WiFi, you have your shows. Enjoy live and recorded TV on your Amazon Fire TV or Amazon Fire Stick. Just open the Live TV app in the Fire TV software and start watching. TiVo’s iOS and Android app allows you to watch your shows and recordings on compatible tablet and mobile devices. You can even watch on a web browser at TiVO Online.
Unfortunately it looks like we’ve also confirmed there will be no local DVR storage, with all recordings looking to reside within TiVo’s cloud. Making matters worse, they appear to be following in Boxee’s failed footsteps with regional restrictions and perhaps shared recordings.
Mavrik employs a patented, first-of-its-kind technology to record your favorite shows in the cloud without bogging down your home’s broadband performance. It’s cloud recording without the headaches. Cloud recording feature currently is available in solely the following San Francisco Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma.
However, the (draft?) documentation, does indicate Mavrik owners will be provided 20 hours of cloud storage on the house with the ability to upgrade to 50hrs, somewhat mirroring Aereo’s retired tiers – although exact pricing remains a mystery. Also a mystery is what over-the-air cloud DVR features will be made available to TiVo Bolt and Roamio owners that were in testing last fall.
As TiVo brings on new leadership, encompassing their consumer portfolio, Google has surfaced an almost treasure trove of Mavrik imagery. The majority of the photos, originally published way back in July, have been removed or relocated… leaving us with just a small selection of gadgety goodness. We anticipate the presumably delayed TiVo Mavrik will ultimately be revealed as an OTA network tuner, somewhat akin to the HDHomeRun or Tablo, with cloud DVR capabilities and, at the very least, streaming video output to Amazon Fire TV. I’d also hope TiVo is busy retrofitting their existing iOS app for Apple TV support. Assuming the project hasn’t been or won’t be scrapped.
*with catches, of course
While its been periodically available, to folks who call in, TiVo is now publicizing a highly compelling but targeted $99 Lifetime Service transfer… from older DVRs onto the newer TiVo Bolt platform.
For a limited time, transfer lifetime service from your TiVo Series 2 or Series 3 DVR for only $99 with a purchase of any new TiVo BOLT™. Seriously, we’ve never offered a deal like this before! TiVo BOLT is the best TiVo ever!
The TiVo all-in service plan is regularly $550. You save $450 when you buy a new TiVo BOLT and Transfer your lifetime service for just $99!
Only TiVo Series2/Series3, HD and HDXL DVRs with Product Lifetime service that have connected to the TiVo service between 3/28/16 and 3/28/17 qualify. Your current TiVo DVR will be deactivated 10 days after you connect the new TiVo BOLT to the TiVo service.
If you meet the above criteria yet haven’t received an email blast, I suggest giving TiVo a call prior to April 10th – at which point the promo ends.
(Thanks James!)
TiVo Mavrik’s FCC confidentiality has lifted… suggesting the unannounced cord cutting solution is behind schedule but treating us to even more pre-release photos and intel on the product. It’s pretty clear at this point that Mavrik is a Tablo-esque network tuner that streams live over-the-air television and DVR recordings to set-tops, like Fire TV, and mobile devices. While we know Mavrik will offer a cloud DVR service, a la Boxee, it’s not clear if the two-tuner, headless set-top will also record locally via included SD slot or USB-attached storage.
More FCC analysis from the TiVo Community indicate the Mavrik incorporates Bolt-level processing and transcoding capabilities, an 8GB cache, and 512MB of memory. Beyond Tablo, also active in this space is Channels which utilizes HDHomeRun hardware to pipe live (or recorded) television into Apple TV and iPhone or iPad.
TiVo has begun soliciting early adopters with a new priority request form:
We are preparing to release a software update (20.7.1) for TiVo BOLT, TiVo Roamio, TiVo Mini, and TiVo Premiere boxes. Boxes will be updated in groups. If you would like your TiVo BOLT, TiVo Roamio, TiVo Mini, or TiVo Premiere to be in one of the first groups to be updated, please enter your TiVo Service Number below. Note: Only TiVo boxes purchased directly from TiVo.com or a retailer are eligible for this update.
We suspect this release largely consists bug fixes and plumbing improvements, targeting the more significant cloud DVR and Hydra interface options for later this year.
