TiVo on Tuesday unveiled a brand new DVR device that promises to give viewers finer control over what they watch, and more. With so many set-top boxes now on the market, TiVo is no longer the automatic choice when it comes to home DVR, especially when cable companies already offer their own home-bred options. But TiVo’s new Roamio device is a jack of all trades meant for TV fanatics, those who subscribe to every channel and every package known to man. And it sounds awesome.
Built with six tuners, Roamio ensures you’ll never run into a situation where you have to sacrifice one recording for another. And with 3TB of internal storage, you’re pretty much guaranteed to never run out of space for your next show. Basic functionality is there, such as the ability to pause and rewind live TV, but Roamio also has the ability to stream popular services such as Netflix, Hulu and YouTube. The company says its new device is designed to be everything in one, sending a direct message to competing devices like Roku and Slingbox.
The focus isn’t simply on just recording shows, but also finding stuff you actually want to watch. Along with a personalized dashboard, where you can immediately see your favorite channels and shows, Roamio also lets you easily search, record, download or stream your favorites and find upcoming episodes (and reruns, too). Roamio also makes recommendations based on what you’re currently watching, and lets you narrow content down by movies, sports, etc.
“TiVo Roamio is so much more than just the best DVR, it’s for people who are all about loving their TV—that’s why we call our latest offering Roamio,” said Tom Rogers, TiVo’s President and CEO. Roam-io. Get it? “Take every box or device out there—Roku, Apple TV, Slingbox, Google TV, your standard cable box—all rolled into one.”
In addition to the features above, Roamio also gives users the ability to access their recordings from almost anywhere, which can be streamed through an iPad or iPhone. There will be three models: Roamio ($199), Roamio Plus ($399) and Roamio Pro ($599), all varying by storage and functionality. If all you do is spend time in front of the tube, TiVo’s new Roamio is something to consider. It’s not short on features, and it certainly sounds good on paper. Whether it can live up to its all-in-one aspirations remains to be seen.
