First Look: TiVo Releases New Roamio Line of DVRs

TiVo has just released a new line of DVRs that look to be aimed right at TiVo fans who are jealous of the features of rival DVRs such as the Dish Hopper. At least on paper, the new line of Roamio DVRs looks a bit like DVR nirvana. It offers the ability to record up to six shows at the same time (depending on the model) and eventually you'll be able to watch the recorded video on everything from tablets to your mobile phone.

The Roamio line comes in three models: a basic one for $200, a Roamio Plus for $400 and a Roamio Pro for $600. As is the case with all TiVos, you also have to factor in the cost of a subscription, $14.99 per month and $499 for a lifetime deal.

Here's a quick breakdown of what you'll get from each model:

Roamio Basic
Simultaneous recordings: 4
HD recording capacity: Up to 75 hours
Built-in Wi-fi: Yes
Built-in MoCa: Requires adapter
CableCard support: Yes
Stream to mobile devices: Requires TiVo Stream
Ethernet: 10/100
Price: $199.99

Roamio Plus
Simultaneous recordings: 6
HD recording capacity: Up to 150 hours
Built-in Wi-fi: Yes
Built-in MoCa: Yes
CableCard support: Yes
Stream to mobile devices: Yes
Ethernet: 10/100/1000
Price: $399.99

Roamio Pro
Simultaneous recordings: 6
HD recording capacity: Up to 450 hours
Built-in Wi-fi: Yes
Built-in MoCa: Yes
CableCard support: Yes
Stream to mobile devices: Yes
Ethernet: 10/100/1000
Price: $599.99



The apps for Roamio are a vast improvement over previous TiVo models and include video apps for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, YouTube, AOL On and MLB.TV. And if you live in an area where Comcast Xfinity has been rolled out, you'll also have access to Xfinity on Demand.

I've long been a fan of the TiVo interface and owned several of the company's DVRs until it switched over its HD interface to the Premiere line. Everything seemed to take forever with the Premiere and ultimately I switched over to a rival DVR. But TiVo says the Roamio line is a completely new system, built to have a performance between 1.5 and 2.5 times faster than previous models. If that's an accurate claim, that will get TiVo performance back in the ballpark of rival DVRs.

It's also a nice addition to have a built-in 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. Until now, TiVo users have had to purchase a USB Wi-Fi adapter to get wireless internet access. This new built-in Wi-Fi access allows you to do everything from updating guide info to streaming Netflix without any hassles. You can't stream between TiVo units, but that is a feature that I suspect few users would be interested in anyway.

There is one other caveat when it comes to streaming. The basic model requires TiVo stream to stream and download video from a TiVo hard drive to an iPad or iPhone. But the Roamio Plus and Pro models have that feature already built in.

The Roamio line won't work with satellite TV providers Dish or DirecTV, or with AT&T’s U-Verse. But it will work with most cable TV providers, as well as Verizon FiOS. But you'll need a Cablecard from your cable TV provider and your ease in getting the card and installing it will vary wildly depending on the company.

Overall, the TiVo Roamio seems to be an attractive option for the power TV viewer. Unlike most cable or satellite TV DVRs, you'll have the ability to easily switch back and forth between traditional TV programs and streaming services. Once once their mobile streaming rolls out later this fall, you'll be able to watch what’s on your TiVo from any Wi-Fi connection.  Roamio also supports Google's Chromecast Dial standard, which means you can use Chromecast to stream video from your mobile device or tablet to your television.



And the TiVo user experience continues to be the best in the industry. The TiVo remote continues to be the best around, and the newly tweaked interface includes a couple of features, including a "What To Watch Now" feature that shows the 20 most popular shows airing right now. It's a handy feature for those times when you're looking for something to watch, but don't want to waste time scrolling through the listings. But mysteriously, while many of the screens have been converted to the newer HD-style look, portions of the older SD screens scattered through the settings menu. The result is a sometimes clunkier look than the Roamio deserves.

I'll post a formal review once I've had a chance to play around with the Roamio, but my initial take is that if you can get past the initial sticker shock, the TiVo Roamio is now the best DVR you can buy.