Goobye sageTV Hello Tivo Bolt.

[nyplayer]

I took the plunge today and ordered the TIVO bolt .... Reasons below.

1. I am a cable subscriber and maintaining SageTV for Cable recording is really a pain the the ***

2. SageTV does not really have any Streaming.

3. I Prefer the TIVO bolt because it has everything I need in 1 Interface. Netflix .. YouTube etc..

4. Tivo Bolt has a 30 Day free trial Free returns if I choose to change my mind

5. You can add external Storage to it.

6. first year subscription free.

7. Can return our Remaining 2 cable boxes at $10.00 each.

8. I can finally retire my Sage Box and get a NAS. for other stuff since the Tivo Bolt also supports plex.

9. supports 4K

[stuckless]

Bolt sounds like a promising device... especially if it has built in plex and netflix. Does it do multi-room (ie, centralized recording, and watch in any connected tivo device).

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by stuckless

Bolt sounds like a promising device... especially if it has built in plex and netflix. Does it do multi-room (ie, centralized recording, and watch in any connected tivo device).

They have Tivo Minis that you can use to replace the cable boxes in any room.

[cncb]

Unless they have made recent improvements, you might be disappointed in the Plex implementation due to having to transcode most videos (unless you are not into watching ripped movies).

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by cncb

Unless they have made recent improvements, you might be disappointed in the Plex implementation due to having to transcode most videos (unless you are not into watching ripped movies).

I cannot even remember the last time I ripped a movie.... The main reason I want it is to record CableTV, Netflix and replace my 2 cable boxes and 1 of my HdHomerun Primes. Plex is just a bonus to View the recorded SageTV shows which I transcode to H264 after 30 days old.

And eventually replace my sageTV box with a high end Nas.

[will]

I've always been interested in trying out a Tivo - love the remotes and they have a great interface.

However, doesn't Tivo encrypt the recordings on the hard drive to be cable card complaint? If your Tivo fails then you lose all your data, external storage included; just like the old Windows Media Center. Has this changed?

[EnterNoEscape]

You can pull anything off of the box that is copy freely, but I presume while it is on the box it is stored encrypted. That's my number one complaint about proprietary boxes, if the drive goes up or the box breaks you just lost everything. To counter this, you could presumably do nightly backups of your copy freely content. My number two complaint is commercial skipping support. TiVo has it, but unless things have improved, it's not as instant as SageTV. Even with these complaints, I'm still very interested in your experience when you start using it.

[bcjenkins]

TiVo only encrypts depending on the flag. You can pull the recordings off of a TiVo using kmttg as well.

TiVo's minis used to require a separate subscription, but they don't any longer.

The Plex integration is a huge add-on if you have a ton of ripped media.

[nyplayer]

That is good to know that I can Copy the Tivo recordings. Most of my channels are copy freely except for a few movie channels. I have 2 primes so I will be de-commissioning one ... (at least I go from 3 tuners to 4) ... I will use Sage in parallel until I feel comfortable with it.

TIVODesktop reportedly works with it to transfer files.

[bcjenkins]

You'll need to use kmttg because TiVo Desktop is no longer for sale.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

You'll need to use kmttg because TiVo Desktop is no longer for sale.

I have tivoDesktop 2.8.3 but it is great to know there is another option ... much appreciated thanks.

I also believe that MCEBuddy can Process Tivo Files.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

You'll need to use kmttg because TiVo Desktop is no longer for sale.

do you know where installable versions might be found still? didn't know they took it off the market. luckily I have it on three boxes, but I don't think I kept the install.exe

[Stu Gare]

Look similar to something being released in the UK by Sky called Sky Q.
How long has SageTV offered 'fluid' viewing :-)

http://www.sky.com/shop/tv/sky-q/overview/

[valnar]

Anyone willing to put on a little YouTube video showing how the navigation works when playing local files from a share, or via Plex?

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by valnar

Anyone willing to put on a little YouTube video showing how the navigation works when playing local files from a share, or via Plex?

I could but if you have seen any of their interfaces(plex) ie roku, firetv, Xbox one it's exactly the same.

[valnar]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

I could but if you have seen any of their interfaces(plex) ie roku, firetv, Xbox one it's exactly the same.

Ahh, I haven't, but could look those up. I use PHT (RasPlex) and IOS.

[nebulink]

I am also looking to make a move to Tivo Bolt with OTA. This box has all my needs.

OTA - Live TV for sports and news
Netflix - Covers On-Demand needs
HULU - Covers all sitcom On-Demand needs
Vudu - No more ripping DVD's or the need for apps like Plex. Great Product
Plex - Good for items that are not available on Vudu.

All packaged up in a single box. I am looking forward to making the move and getting rid of DirecTv's $140/mo bill.

[valnar]

I thought about starting a new thread but everyone who can answer my questions is here.

I've never owned a Tivo before, nor really used any cable company's PVR box for very long (friend's houses). I've had SageTV since almost the beginning.

I run a Plex Server, but mainly for remote access and streaming for friends. For local access, my HD300 still performs better. FF/RW is awesome on a HD300.

For those who switched to a Tivo Bolt, or more importantly, completely away from the Sage ecosystem, how does it compare in functionality? One of my main concerns is how smooth the experience is watching and maneuvering TV shows or recorded media. Does it have a method of watching MKV/MP4 files natively from a Windows share? (I have a lot of content that won't be on the Tivo HDD)...or do you have to use Plex? If so, how is the Tivo Plex app vs the experience on an HD300?

I won't want to run Sage alongside of a new PVR app, so if I do it...it will be to retire Sage permanently. Wondering if I will lose anything? I was hoping Silicondust's new HDHomeRun DVR was going to be my salvation, but it's turning out to be a real dog.

I could leave Sage running indefinitely as it does everything I want, but it requires the use of an HD-PVR and a cable company tuner to get me encrypted channels. It would be nice to use a cablecard, and the solution would be more elegant overall if the experience was similar.

[PLUCKYHD]

Plex is the best way to watch those videos in tivo. The app is on the tivo by default and the Interface is exactly the same as Xbox one or roku interface for plex.

Now plex is working on one pass integration once that is done you can get your TV right into Tivo menus and launch from there. It already does this integration with Netflix, vudu and Amazon via one pass.

It's like this one pass is like a series recording amplified. When you set up a "onepass" you can select if you want online included and from how far back you wanna go. From there your one pass will show all episodes that meet criteria whether from online like Netflix or recorded locally on tivo. This integration to me is one of the best things about tivo. And once plex gets this integration your "archived" TV will be integrated right into your recorded content.

As for compared to HD 300 the tivo mini works better IMHO. If not for speed only the fact the tivo bolt has MOCA built in is extremely nice as well. It allows me to run tivo minis without glitchy WiFi or having to run dedicated cat cable.

There are sacrifices for sure it isn't as flexible or customizable in the interface. So you either like it or dont. It's not flashy but my wife prefers it and is so thankful I switched. Netflix and plex and vudu mimic roku interfaces there. It's also nice with the minis to keep the unified remote and interface. Speaking of rf remotes and TV control almost eliminates the universal remote. It did from our bedroom.