TiVo Roamio OTA: great cord-cutting DVR, but too costly
DVRs
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If you're looking to ditch cable and go completely over the air there's been a few notable products released recently from channel master and simple TV.
And now Tivo's getting in on the action too.
Hi I'm Ty Pendlebury and this is the Tivo Roamio OTA.
It's an over the air only DVR.
And is available for a deceptively cheap 50 dollars as a Best Buy exclusive.
This product flows off the original Romeo TVR which was already chord cutter friendly.
But the OTA model has two important distinctions.
The Romeo had cable card capabilities so if you decided to go back to TV, you could where as the OTA doesn't.
And it also enabled you to choose a lifetime fee.
In a potential slap in the face for cord cutters wanting to escape monthly fees, the Roamio OTA attracts a $15 fee for as long as you own it.
Other than this oversight, though, this is a really good PVR.
It has the world-renown Tivo smarts with recommendations and audio recordings.
Plus a 500 gig hard drive and four tuners.
So you'll probably never have a conflict.
The recording quality is also a step above the cloud based PDRs we've seen recently.
And you shouldn't miss cable at all if you use this machine.
The addition of streaming services is great and you can search for movies on the guide, Netflix and Amazon right from the main screen.
However, given that the original Roamio is being offered at the moment for $0 down with $20 a month fee, it's actually a better deal.
Or even at it's normal price of $199.
So even over the course of three years, you'll still pay less with the lifetime option.
Get the Roamio instead.
I suggest at the moment the OTA version is just a curio until they offer less time or lower the monthly fee.
This has been Tye Pemberry from CNET.com
