TiVo’s latest DVR escalates the war on commercials.
The new TiVo Bolt allows viewers to skip entire commercial breaks of certain recorded shows with a single press of a SkipMode button.
In addition, the Bolt’s QuickMode speeds up playback of recorded material 30 percent without audio distortion. QuickMode’s pitch-corrected audio lets a viewer speed through slow-moving programs, for instance news, sports and award shows, and resume normal speed at the spots the viewer chooses.
TiVo claimed the combination of SkipMode and QuickMode enables the average viewer to potentially recapture a month of viewing time each year.
The Bolt is also 4K compatible.
The Bolt’s OnePass universal search unifies the listings of all available programs across all platforms — cable, video on demand, OTA and OTT.
TiVo said planned updates to come this fall include a Share with Friends mode which will allow viewers to share links to favorite shows with anybody via email, Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Upon clicking on that link, TiVo will take the viewer’s friend to a page on an iOS or Android device, or on the web, indicating where they can watch that show.
The Bolt comes with 500GB of storage for $299, including a first year of annual service, or 1,000GB of storage for $399, with a year’s service.
It is available beginning today at TiVo.com, BestBuy.com and Amazon.com, and in stores starting Oct. 4, at Best Buy, Magnolia Home Theater and Magnolia Design Centers.
