After ordering my first TiVo Roamio OTA from the Amazon Warehouse I was disappointed. It was repackaged and upon taking it out of the box there was a rattle like a screw was loose in inside the device. I then tried to register it online and it said it had already been registered. I returned it, and debated whether or not to reorder.



A week or so later I noted a "like new" in the Warehouse listing s and ordered yet again with fingers crossed. It arrived two days ago and while the original box was crushed on the corners (why they don't put it inside another box and pad it I don't understand...) the product was indeed "like new" inside.



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UNBOXING: A



The setup guide, remote with (2) AA batteries, power cord and TiVo unit were all neatly and securely packaged inside the original box. The TiVo had no scratches, scuffs or rattles, so I figured I was good to go. Everything was there and in its original packaging there was no movement of the Roamio, protecting it from damage.



I immediately noted the TP number on the back of the unit and went to TiVo's website to activate the service.



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SERVICE ACTIVATION: B



You can call or go online to activate your TiVo service, but it's going to take some time before you can use your device.



Since I've never been a TiVo user I had to register on the site first, then I was able to activate my Roamio OTA by putting in the serial number. I was told it registered successfully and that it would take up to 24 hours to register. I decided to do other things for a day and come back online to see if registration was complete prior to attempting setup.



It took about 16 hours for TiVo to complete the registration process. I was a bit confused to see 'no subscription' in my TiVo account, however since this unit comes with NO MONTHLY fee (it's all included) there was no need to add a credit card to the account.



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EASE OF SETUP: B+



The included Setup Guide can be found online at the TiVo website if your box didn't ship with one inside. I loved the simple directions! Anyone could set this thing up with relative ease.



I was a bit concerned that I would have a struggle using this device going through my Sony AV receiver (with 7 speakers hooked up to it, I use it instead of the TV's sound system....). Thankfully it went off without a hitch and worked fine, but I can't use the TiVo remote function for volume control - I have to use the AV receiver controller.



The toughest part of setup was getting the updates and waiting for the TiVo to accurately nab over air channels and populate the onscreen menu. This process took about 1.5 hours for me to complete with 3 updates of the system finally concluding in showing me an onscreen guide.



When you go through the guided setup you enter your zip code, and based upon that info the Roamio OTA looks for channels. The TiVo found 21 channels in my area (I know I get 14 clearly). After finding all the channels the device locks them into its setup info. Unfortunately that means you'll see even those that have no picture when you go through channels.



To fix that you have to go into Settings - Channels and uncheck the channels you don't want in your Guide. You will also have to go to My Channels and uncheck 'All' - choose movies or similar - and the Guide will eventually condense to show you only the checked channels. I found the 14 I wanted by checking signal strengths (also in Settings) and making sure they were all there.



I hooked up my

to the back of the TiVo without powering it up (it's AC powered) and did a channel scan. It gained all my channels even without a boost! Then I plugged it in and got the same result. The pairing of the two devices was seamless and works very well.



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USING THE ROAMIO OTA: A-



On the one hand, my experience of using the Roamio OTA is better than expected I'd forgotten how much I missed having a snappy interface to view TV programming. The Guide moves swiftly and is very intuitive, and OTA channels pop up without a delay when going channel to channel. I love being able to search the Guide and still watch TV in the preview box.



The remote is well laid out and the only thing it's lacking is a backlight for my aging eyes! Even having not used a TiVo remote before, within a couple of hours I was using it with ease - not even having to look down at it to navigate.



Setting up recordings of programs within the guide is easy, but it would be great if there was something in the box that indicated a step-by-step way to do it. I found the TiVo website and YouTube to be helpful, as well as the TiVo forum.



I was able to easily add my Hulu, Netflix and Amazon account information, and all of the services launched with minimal lag time. It's very much like using a Roku or similar device in that way, but you can search for programming via the TiVo guide which is helpful. You do have to be careful if you are an Amazon Prime member to take note of Prime versus regular Amazon Video offerings, as it would be easy to click a paid one.



NOTE: There's also "Movies" which appear to be bundled. FYI... you pay for these. You'd have to purchase with a credit card on your account though, so it should be easy to avoid.



I like that I can add additional storage to the device, however for my purposes I think the generous 1TB drive (recording up to 25 shows before overwriting them) should be enough. 150 hours of saved programming is something I'll never get through anyway.



Speaking of recorded programs, be sure to go into Settings to start your recordings a minute or so early to not get them cut off. (If this is important to you.) The time is set via the internet.



Once you have recordings you can fast forward through them, rewind, skip commercials, or watch them at 30% faster speed. All good things and another great reason for cordcutters to get this device.



When not using the TiVo it automatically goes into Standby mode after 4 hours of non-use. You can change this in Settings to a shorter time if you like, or manually set it into Standby by pushing a button on your remote. It wakes the same way - a button push - very easy. Standby should theoretically extend the life of your TiVo by not having the hard drive spinning all the time.



Heat from the device was minimal, and the remote was responsive even if it wasn't in the direct line of site of the Tivo box. You can easily put it on a shelf or behind the TV and still have it work well.



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FINAL THOUGHTS:



The main reason I purchased the TiVo Roamio OTA was to have an onscreen Guide for my husband to easily follow (he's not a techie type...) and for me to be able to record OTA shows while still being able to view Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime content. This device does all these things very well and I'm pleased with its performance. I also love that this one comes with NO MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION FEE! (If it had, I wouldn't own it.) Now I just cross my fingers that this thing has a long life to make up for the relatively high start-up cost.



What I wish was better (and may be with time...) is the limited number of apps available don't include HBO Now or Sling TV. Maybe, just maybe, they'll give them to us for Christmas? I'm forever hopeful. (I can access Showtime via my Hulu app and maybe Amazon is the key for the others eventually. Time will tell.) . For now I've still got my Roku attached to my TV for those things and Crackle which I also enjoy. It means changing a HDMI input on my TV and not having that integrated into the Guide, but at least I still have them as options.



Another thing I wish was better - sometimes live TV video is not synced accurately with the audio. The mouth movement doesn't match what you hear. I'll have to troubleshoot it a bit more as it may be something related to bringing the audio through the AV receiver versus a direct connection.



On the upside, I was able to still get all the same OTA channels I had before (all major networks in HD) without the TiVo in the mix without a loss of signal strength. I didn't gain any channels, but that wasn't expected. I was a little worried that there would be a loss of channels (as some reviewers have experienced), but thankfully that didn't happen.



I've not regretted cutting the cord with cable several years ago, and thought I was doing just fine without this device, but I can see now that this cordcutter's experience just got a bit better thanks to the TiVo Roamio OTA.



I would recommend it to others who are looking for a cable-like experience with the ability to record shows, without the cost of cable TV service or a monthly subscription fee.



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10/13/16 - VUDU just started offering FREE movies! You can sign up on the VUDU site for an account and then login to VUDU on the TiVo to access this free content. Over 240 movies in SD and HD - everything from kids movies to scary stuff. Obviously most of it is older, but still some good ones like "Point Break" (the older one), "True Grit" (the newer one) and others.



A nice bit of extra for TiVo Roamio OTA users who don't want to pay for streaming services, but want additional content to supplement their over air programming.



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