The name TiVo likely brings to mind the popular DVR and commercial skipping device from the early 2000s, but the company is in fact still around – and they’re making a splash to remind people.
TiVo has unveiled a new streaming stick, the TiVo Stream 4K, and it’s not like anything the company has ever offered. Similar to the Chromecast, Fire Stick and Roku Stick, it’s a HDMI dongle that allows for streaming directly to a television, making any television (with HDMI input) a smart one.
It doesn’t have DVR capability on it own, and can’t access cable or OTA television, but instead will rely on a partnership with Sling TV (which of course you’ll need a separate subscription for). It wasn’t clear exactly what services would work with the device, as the TiVo release mentioned “Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, YouTube and more.” Disney+ wasn’t among the services listed.
Like the Apple TV and Fire TV, you can search for content directly on the interface and then pull it up in the appropriate app. “With TiVo Stream 4K, we have created a dramatically better experience for viewers who are tired of hunting through apps and interfaces to find the amazing content available through online content providers,” said Dave Shull, president and CEO of TiVo
The device will be Android based and come with a voice enabled remote. The price tag will be $49.99 at launch for a limited time before the standard price of $69.99 takes effect. This marks TiVo’s first product launch sinec their merger with Xperi.
