TiVo Bolt Vox has voice control remote for easier video discovery
Believe it or not, TiVo is still around and kicking, even if the ancient DVR isn't what it used to be.
To prove it's still got some fight in it, the company's releasing a new version of its DVR, the Bolt Vox, with a remote control that supports voice controls.
SEE ALSO:Why the iPhone 8 Plus is a better camera than a real cameraThe new Bolt Vox looks identical to the previous Bolt and Bolt+ DVR box, complete with the same quirky, bent design on its all-black exterior.
Inside's the same, too. It comes with four tuners and the same three storage models: 500GB ($200), 1TB ($300), and 3TB ($500). A TiVo Service plan is also still required and works out to $15 per month (with a 1-year contract), $150 every year, or $550 per year for the all-service plan.
The box itself is nothing special. It's the smarter software and new pack-in remote with voice controls that finally bring TiVo into the modern era.
If you've ever used a Fire TV with Alexa Voice Remote or an Apple TV with Siri Remote, you'll be right at home with the TiVo remote's voice commands.
Unlike Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant, the proprietary TiVo voice controls are designed to help you find and launch content quickly, not tell you the weather, or trivia stats, or control your smart home.
Voice control everything
Press and hold the voice search button and say something like "Show me action movies" and the Vox will display all that are available. But a good voice search understands context. If you follow up the first request with "only movies with Clint Eastwood" and then maybe "only westerns," the Vox will understand the context in relation to action movies.
I tried this out on a pre-production Vox and it worked. Vox's voice remote also knows how to find movies with two actors and actresses (i.e. "Show me movies with George Clooney and Julia Roberts") and when sports games are playing ("When do the Jets play?").
You can also jump to a TV channel by saying its channel name or the number (if you still remember them) and can launch internet video streaming apps like Netflix, HBO Go, or Amazon Videos, which are built-in.
Credit: tivoBy far the best thing about the voice search is looking up a movie by a quote. Yes, really. For example, when I said "Say hello to my little friend" into the remote control, the Vox instantly recognized that as a quote from Tony Montana and displayed the option to watch Scarface.
It was pretty neat. At launch, there are only about 100-150 movie quotes supported (and who knows which ones those are), but TiVo says it's looking to add more. Right now, the quotes are manually programmed into its software, but the company's exploring the possibility of crowdsourcing the quotes in order to include more.
Better predictive content for you
Credit: tivoThe other big addition to the Vox is its smarter predictive software. Whereas TiVo's known for its usually spot-on recommendation engine, the company's now turning into AI to better suggest content.
So you'll a new "Smart Bar" on the interface that starts to predict what you watch in more nuanced ways. Like if you watch a lot of cartoons every day at 5 p.m., it'll suggest cartoons during that time, but not during the mornings when you watch news.
More personalized and intelligent software is a necessity when you look at video services like Netflix and Amazon and how they get you to binge watch more videos than you really have time for.
Voice control remotes for everyone
Credit: tivoI'm not a TiVo owner myself (I've switched to YouTube TV and its unlimited cloud DVR), but there are millions of customers who still are. For them, voice controls will finally help take out the complexities of discovering content.
Which is why the company's not only blessing Vox owners with the remote, but existing Bolt and Roamio DVR owners will be able to purchase voice remote controls for their boxes. Bolt owners will need to pay $40 for the voice remote and Roamio owners will pay $45. Customers with Roamio DVRs will need a Bluetooth USB receiver dongle, though.
It's easy to dismiss TiVo in the age of YouTube TV and Sling TV, both of which offer cloud DVR, but none are as robust and feature-packed. The price for the box and service isn't cheap, but if you really, really love watching TV, a TiVo's still a great companion.
Featured Video For You
Google's Pixel 2 and 2 XL are perfect if you don't want to spend $1,000 on a new phone
(责任编辑:关于我们)
- 广州市白云区供销联社携手6所院校15支队伍,加力提速推进“百千万工程”
- [PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang Olympics leave legacy as Peace Olympics
- 北纬网拍摄雨城区第一手视频资料
- 'What's Your Mutt?' Our new Facebook Watch show helps you figure it out
- U.S. Senators call on FTC to investigate the security of drivers' data
- 《重庆时报》加急出版号外 关注芦山大地震
- 雨城区工商局开展“六比六看” 实现“三个目标”
- Four S. Korean workers die at construction site for skyscrapers in Busan
- Best smart home deals this week
- Opposition parties protest Kim Yong
- Brazil wins Copa America
- 雅安市红十字会募捐呼吁书
- Apple Watch 10 rumors: Everything we know so far
- Seoul increases financial commitment to startups
- US to oppose North Korean worker dispatch to occupied Ukrainian territory: State Dept.
- [Photo News] Intentional snub? Opposition party chief cuts in front of President Moon
- Two Cambodian men arrested on suspicion of attempted murder
- Elon Musk claims feature from Hummer EV is coming to quad
- 尝“鲜”盛宴,等你来探!2024年清远西牛麻竹笋尝鲜季即将启幕
- N. Korea lobs coastal artillery shells into Yellow, East Seas: S. Korean military