TiVo - Mini - Black

The mini is much larger than picture shows. Very hard to use in the tight places it would normally get used. Nice unit, but needs to be smaller like Streaming units, like apple and others.

I added two Minis to the TiVo box in my home and now I am able to watch all my recorded shows and live over-the-air TV in all three rooms. The total investment was high, but it was well worth it after I cut the satellite service a few months ago. The set up of each mini took some time but with the fast internet connection it was tolerable. Very easy to set up. I hooked them up to the TiVo using the existing Ethernet cables in my home. Basically a plug 'n play proposition. The picture quality is as good as the main TiVo box, no signal loss, and far superior to that of any satellite or cable company.

I don't know why more people don't use TiVo. Cable companies charge anywhere from $7-$12 a month for extra boxes. Get a tivo bolt, pay for the all in subscription (it will hurt) then buy a TiVo mini for every tv in the house and it will pay for itself within a year or two. For me I was trying to save $$ and get the cheapest rental from cable company despite having fairly new hd TV's in kitchen and basement. Got the minis and was like why did I put up with low def?! You need to run these through a moca network. Look it up on line, it looks daunting but if your actual cable is in good shape and all runs meet in a utility closet or something it's not hard. Just add a filter where the cable comes in and replace the splitters so they work bi-directionally and it will be all set. No lag on the mini even though it's running off the main TiVo (it does take a sec to change channels, so if you like to arrow through stations you may not like it, I don't mind, I learned to use the guide and not flip through).

Talked with sales man Brent at tulsa 71/169 store and he is a cord cutter himself and has the same system ( tivo plus mini), so a trusted him and cut the cord, and boy am I glad I did, it has saved my family $117 a month and I feel we are getting more quality programming now than with cable. we got the lifetime service so all we pay is $99 a year to prime and I watch any thing i want for free. If it is a series that is not free it is normally 19.99 on average for 12-15 shows so that's about $1.25-1.57 per show so may monthly cost to watch tv is ($99 for prime per yr) $8.25 a month plus + 4 (series like ax men) $1.57 x 4 = $6.28 and they air weekly so that would be times 4 weeks = $25.12 so $8.25 (prime)+ $25.12(series)= 33.37 a month to watch more programming than I was paying for cable. I have had the system for a month and a half and I love it we watch 5 hrs of tv a day and I could not go back to cable after this. I have had "o" problems and just love the user friendliness of the system

If i knew this unit did what it did I would have got it a long time ago!! You will need to have wireless bridge or a MoCA adapter. With out these items it will not work right out of the box. I have 2 wireless bridges one at each end using a Ethernet cable plugged in each and it works great. Stream live TV or watch recorded TV. I have the Roamio OTA cheapest one you can get. Heck this unit cost more than my Tivo did. If you have all the items to make this work buy it. Don't until you get them. It requires a wired internet connection via Ethernet cable or a MoCA connection. I am on antenna also so I don't need to have an antenna on the other tv to receive TV broadcast which is great!

I've used TIVO since the very beginning. Like most TIVO add-ons, I found the TIVO mini requires some patience to setup as it is not what I would consider plug and play (however, not as challenging as the TIVO Stream). Having said that, once you work through the steps to make it work, it delivers what it promises, an affordable TIVO experience on a separate TV in your home without purchasing another TIVO unit or another monthly or lifetime service plan. It essentially "borrows" one of the tuners on your other multiple tuner TIVO unit. The TIVO mini does not work via WIFI, rather it requires you to have a direct ethernet connection to your Mini, or to enable a MoCA network over your coax cable which is likely to be running to your TV. Since I had neither running to the TV where I planned to use the Mini, I did manage a successful hookup by just moving my WIFI booster (which does have an ethernet port on it) next to my TV and it worked fine. However, this may not work for everyone. Bottom line give the Mini a try if it fits your needs and you enjoy the challenge.

The TiVo Mini is fantastic! I have a Bolt in my living room and the Mini in my bedroom. The Mini allowed me to remove a CableCard from my cable account, saving me money every month. Also, I don't have to pay for a second TiVo service, which saves even more money each month. If you have multiple TiVo's in the house, this Mini is a great way to save some money. It works best when you set it up with a MoCA connection, essentially seamless without lag (but a few dropped signals on occasion). The only warning for multiple TiVo box users: The Mini uses a tuner from your "base" TiVo box, so if you have multiple Mini's in the house, you may need a 6 tuner TiVo. Currently I have my Mini connected to my 4 tuner Bolt and it works perfectly.

I've been a TiVo fan for over 15 years. The original motivation was to record and playback shows on my schedule and that was pretty much still the case until recently. I own two TiVo Series 3 HD units with lifetime service. The TiVo minis (I bought two) are paired to my new TiVo Roamio Plus and allow us to play/watch and/or record up to SIX channels simultaneously using just ONE multi-stream DableCard at $2 per month from Charter Spectrum. The two minis extend the full functionality of the Roamio to the connected TVs, including my Netfix and Amazon subscriptions. Searches include all sources - both broadcast and online. It's awesome. I was able to return 3 cable cards and two set top boxes that saves me $20 per month on my cable bill. Run, don't walk, to get your TiVo Mini if you already own a compatible TiVo system!