I've been a Tivo user for over 14 years. I bought my first Tivo in 2001 and I've had one ever since because, in my opinion, Tivo has made the best DVR on the market. Since the first Tivos came out and created an entire product category, they've seen an heavy competition, mainly from cable and satellite providers themselves. These cable company DVRs have gotten much better over the years, but in my opinion they've never really matched the superb user interface of the Tivo, which I would argue has one of the all time best user interfaces of any consumer electronic device in history (let the hyperbole and superlatives begin). Even today, cable company DVRs don't handle adding a series to record as well as Tivo, and nobody has ever improved on the classic Tivo "peanut" remote.
Clearly, I'm biased towards Tivo, but that's because I consider them a superior product. For the most part, this is due to subjective reasons and the overall "feel" of the product in its day to day use. In this article, however, I'll cover a few of the most important new features that make Tivo different and stand out from the rest of the crowded field, and why you just might want to consider trading in that cable company DVR.
Remote viewing - Tivo lets you watch your recorded content from anywhere you have an internet connection, and play everything on a mobile device (iOS and Android are supported). Cable companies like Comcast are just starting to catch up to Tivo here, but as usual Tivo makes it easy to use and doesn't place the kinds of restrictions you'll find from companies like Verizon.
OnePass - If you've used a Tivo before, you're familiar with the "Season Pass." This is how you tell Tivo to record every episode of a show. This was recently changed to "OnePass" to reflect that you can now add streaming services as a source for your recordings. There's two ways that this is extremely helpful. First, it lets you add shows that only appear on streaming services to your list of DVR recordings, so that they show up right next to your normal recordings, giving you a single place to go to for all your TV viewing. The other great thing this gives you is a way to catch up on shows that you were turned on to mid-season. Lets say you heard that the new "Limitless" show was good, but by then it was 4 episodes in. When you add a "OnePass," it'll record the new episodes when they air on cable, but it'll show you where you can buy individual episodes that have already aired. OnePass works with Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus.
Other advanced features - The brand new Tivo BOLT is the most advanced DVR on the market. It has all the usual great Tivo features, but adds support for the new high-resolution 4K format for any cable channel, Netflix, and Amazon. The BOLT also adds some interesting playback options. Many primetime shows on the major networks will support a new feature that lets you skip entire commercial breaks at the press of a button. Another nifty feature is the ability to play a show at 30% faster speed (without chipmunk voices). So if you just really want to get through the news quickly so you can watch a sitcom, this is the box for you.
It's difficult to make the pitch for Tivo. For those who have never used it, it's hard to convey what makes the boxes superior to their cable company alternatives. To those who have used a Tivo in the past, they might not be familiar with great features like the OnePass. When considering a Tivo, there's still the large upfront cost to consider. I would urge anyone interested in Tivo to look at the recovery time needed if they dropped a ~$15-20 monthly charge for a cable company DVR. Additionally, the Tivo BOLT can be a great transition device for those interested in cutting the cord by switching to an antenna later and filling the gaps with OnePasses that include more streaming content.