



I've been a TiVo user since 2001. I don't subscribe to cable TV because I hate the constantly increasing prices, the confusing menus, and the overstuffed service packages, particularly huge buckets of sports I don't watch.

OpinionsSo I've cobbled together ways of watching the shows I like. I subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, which handle a lot of the heavy lifting, but my family also likes certain network sitcoms and shows from the CW Arrowverse. They pop up on Hulu eventually, but they're being broadcast over the air for free. Why wait? Slap up an antenna in your window, or on your roof, and you can get high-quality TV without having to sell more of your children to Comcast.

If you love TV and don't watch much sports, but you've been paying for cable packages religiously, you really need to think about going to a streaming-plus-OTA (over the air) solution, like those offered by TiVo. It's not just about the total monthly fee—it's about dealing with more predictable monthly fees from companies that have better service than your cable company, because your cable company is probably the worst.

There's nothing quite like TiVo because TiVo is easy. Yes, there are other DVR solutions out there, but by and large they're missing one of TiVo's two key advantages: an effortless program guide and the ability to work without another streaming device, like a stick, phone, or tablet. Most of the other options out there are more complicated—Amazon's new Fire TV Recast and Tablo both require additional hardware to play on a TV; Channel Master's program guide isn't as good as TiVo's, especially for series recordings.

Too Slow, TiVo

So why am I not running out to buy the new TiVo Bolt OTA?

TiVo's software, unfortunately, tends to be paired with inadequate processing power. Combining that impressive program guide with integrated search should be an effective pathway to cord cutters' TVs, merging all of the different ways to find a program through streaming services, over the air, and maybe even local files on a USB drive. (I, like many cord cutters, have large libraries of ripped DVDs.)

Unfortunately, while the program guide looks great, its speed is sluggish. While my TiVo Roamio lets me access all my streaming services, I instead access Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu via my Samsung smart TV menu because TiVo performance is just too poor. It also doesn't have an easy way to handle those local ripped DVDs.

Now that my smart TV apps are starting to fail because Samsung doesn't support its products, I'm considering getting a Roku because it's so affordable.

TiVo's real issue is that cheapskates like me aren't willing to pay more for the better interface. It's going to be hard for me to swallow the upgrade cost to kick my Roamio up to a Bolt OTA. That's always been a problem for TiVo: it's an independent company competing with major players like Amazon and cable companies that make most of their money in other ways, so they can discount their DVRs.

The Bolt OTA costs $249.99, plus $6.99 per month or another $249.99 for lifetime service. (Do the math and that pays off in three years.) Amazon's Fire TV Recast costs $229.99 with no service fee, plus thirty bucks for a Fire Stick to get it onto your TV. Just muddling along with my Roamio for OTA and getting a Roku will cost me $50. If I decide to upgrade my existing four-year-old TV, which I probably will, I'll probably end up getting upgraded streaming services for free.

If you haven't gone OTA-plus-streaming yet, you really should. Compared to spending $100 per month for cable TV, a $250 TiVo Bolt OTA looks pretty cheap indeed, and the company says it's much faster than my Roamio. Or try that Amazon Fire TV Recast when it comes out. I'll be looking with interest at reviews of both products.