We subscribed to Atlantic Broadband’s Tivo Roamio T6 DVR service in June of 2014, for the expanded recording time and slave TV features, as well as the smart program guide searching. This is a great DVR and service too.
This DVR is state-of-the-art in terms of time-shift TV watching. This allows recording of up to six different shows at the same time. So, there’s no more fighting over who in the family gets to record what shows and when.
Plus, you can watch shows on multiple TVs throughout the home at the same time. Thus, no more fighting over who gets to use the DVR.
Plus, this DVR can stream its shows to mobile devices on the same network that the DVR is on.
There are no video tapes to store or wear out. And the system adds many advanced program search and suggestion features that the VCR users of the 1980s and 1990s could only dream of. No more rooting through hundreds of cassettes to find that show you saved last week. Why not? Because the Tivo T6 Roamio DVR stores all the recordings on either the built in hard disk drive, or on external storage drive.
Benefits, Features, Advantages, and Pros of the Tivo Roamio T6 DVR
Onscreen Program Guide
A list of all television stations in the customer’s current subscription package can appear onscreen, in a grid, that also displays the current show for each station as well as upcoming shows. There’s also extensive information available for each show in the system, including pictures of who stars in it, brief summaries of the selected episode, and suggestions of similar shows that you may wish to watch or record.
Needs No Phone Line
In the early days of Tivo, the DVR required use of an analog phone line, to connect to the Tivo infrastructure, update its program guides, and check subscription terms and user validly. However today, most Tivo DVRs utilize the customer’s broadband Internet connection for that purpose.
The Tivo Roamio T6 DVR Has Excellent Video and Sound
Since DVRs like this one record audio and video in digital format, and since this unit features top-of-the-line D to A converters, you won’t be able to tell whether you’re watching a live or recorded show. Gone are the snowy pictures of old video cassettes, with their fading and flickering colors, skewing, and the white streaks of tape dropouts. This DVR is totally transparent in terms of video and audio quality it captures, and you can play the recordings hundreds of times without any loss of picture or sound quality.
Can Feed Many TVs
Several people can watch their shows simultaneously in different rooms, on the same DVR, using the Tivo Mini streame, also available from Atlantic Broadband.
HD TVs Supported
Provides a fully digital high-definition port for use on any current model high definition or ultra-HD television.
Records up to Six Shows at the Same Time
You and your kids can schedule up to six shows to record at once, in the same time slot, and from different channels.
The Tivo Roamio T6 DVR Streams programs to Devices on Home Network
While connected to the same home network as your DVR, you can play stored shows on many of your network connected devices such as iPads, iPhones, Kindle Fire HDX, and Samsung Galaxy tablets and phones. Note however, that you cannot stream actual program content when you’re away from home, but you can still schedule and delete programs on your DVR, from anywhere that you can connect to the Internet. Both recorded and live programs can be streamed.
Download Saved Shows to Mobile Devices
While at home, you can download saved shows from this Tivo DVR to your Tivo-enabled device (app installed), and then, take the device with you and watch that show anywhere.
Free Tivo Apps
Apps are available for Android devices (Samsung, Nexus, Kindle), and iOS devices (iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone). These apps allow you to operate virtually all DVR functions from anywhere in the world where there’s Internet service, and permit in-home program streaming.
Advanced Program Search
Advanced yes, but simple to use. You can ask for a listing, for example, of all programs currently airing, that feature the words, “love you,” in their titles. Or, you can ask for all current and future shows in the guide, that star Johnny Carson for example. Then you can choose to watch, record, or schedule a future recording of one or more of these shows. You also can search through programs recorded on your DVR, and all these can be done from one place.
The Tivo Roamio T6 DVR Offers an External Storage Option for More Recording Time
Accepts certain eSATA external storage options (hard or solid state drives) that increase the amount of precious recording time.
Many Data Ports
These include…
- Ethernet.
- Optical digital audio out.
- Analog stereo audio out.
- Component video out.
- NTSC video out.
MoCA Support
Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA). This DVR can use your home’s existing RG-6 or RG-59 cable wiring to transfer program content to other television set top boxes (Tivo Minis) in your home. It can also access the Internet Tivo services through MoCA, so long as your Internet modem supports MoCA, and has been correctly wired and configured for this. When the DVR is connected to your home network via the MoCA interface, the Ethernet port on the back of the DVR provides Ethernet access to your network, just as if you were plugging directly into your router.
Ethernet Eupport
If you do not use the MoCA interface, this DVR can be configured to get its Internet services through the built-in Ethernet port on the back.
Restore Deleted Shows
If you decide after deleting a program that you’d like to watch it, you can undelete it for a short time. Convenient feature when multiple people share the same DVR.
The Tivo Roamio T6 DVR Auto Deletes Old Programs
Can be set to delete previously watched programs, or old programs that haven’t yet been watched, in order to free up hard drive space for new recordings.
Fast Response
We rarely see, if ever, any delays when pressing the command buttons on the Tivo remote.
Social Media Support
Supports linkage with Facebook, et al. Once connected, you can share with your friends, which shows you watch, and can see what shows they watch if they also subscribe to this service.
Netflix App
Full integration with Netflix. You can stream movies and shows through your DVR, watching them on the attached television.
Remote Control Finder
Should you lose the remote control, you can press a button on the DVR, that makes the remote play an audible tune, allowing you to listen for it around the home, and hopefully, find it.
iPad Screen Shots of the Tivo T6 Roamio DVR from Atlantic Broadband
Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, Limitations of the Tivo Roamio T6 DVR
Cannot Stream DVR Shows when Outside your Home Network
While you can schedule shows for recording from anywhere in the world so long as you have an Internet connection, you cannot stream them to your mobile device unless you’re at home, and connected to the same network as the one your DVR is on. We’re hopeful that this limitation will be removed in the near future, as Internet upload speeds increase.
DVR Not Accessible to Blind Users
Unlike Comcast’s X1 DVR Talking Guide feature, Atlantic Broadband’s Tivo-based DVR service does not offer audible screen prompts for the blind and vision impaired users, as of this writing.
The Tivo Roamio T6 DVR Needs a Subscription Cable Provider Service to Work
Generally DVRs are tightly coupled to the cable providers and subscription services they host. So you can’t simply plug an Atlantic Broadband DVR into a Cox or Charter cable outlet and expect it to work. This DVR is supplied as part of Atlantic Broadband’s Tivo DVR Service entertainment packages.
No Progress Sounds During Fast Forward and Rewind
When using the rewind (<<) and fast forward (>>) buttons to quickly move through a program you’re watching, this DVR completely mutes the audio. So you can only SEE where you are in the show during these operations, but not HEAR where you are. Big problem for vision-impaired and blind users, who must guess how long to hold down the button to skip past the commercials. We’d suggest that, as is done with numerous ebook reading machines, that future DVR releases support fast forward and rewind audio for the blind. Or, when the talking guide is enabled, that percentage-complete announcements be made while fast advancing or fast reviewing through shows.
Recordings on External Media Do Not Play on Other DVRs
Suggested Improvements
Global Program Streaming Support
We request that global Internet streaming support be added. It’d be so cool to have the ability to watch programs on our home DVR, from exotic places like Singapore.
Make this DVR Accessible to Blind Users
Our Rating for the Tivo Roamio T6 DVR
We appreciate the 1000 hours of standard definition recording capacity (approximately 300 hours of HD program storage). The service is quite reliable and low cost. Plus, the streaming stability on mobile devices works much better these days, as they release new updates. Atlantic Broadband DVR service is now a big part of our home entertainment system. We’re indeed quite pleased with the high-tech workmanship that went into it. So we’d rate the Tivo T6 Roamio DVR service at 94 out of 100.
Atlantic Broadband Phone Number
To sign up or for more information, call Atlantic Broadband at the customer service phone number provided here. Enter your zip code at that site to get the telephone number for the service center serving your local area.
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- How to Connect Sharp Smart TV to Internet
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- PHAZR-5 UR5U9000LAB Remote Control Review
- Philips Universal Remote SRP5107 Review
References for the Tivo Roamio T6 DVR
- Atlantic Broadband Website
- Atlantic Broadband Tivo DVR Service Product Page
- Digital Video Recorder on Wikipedia
- MoCA on Wikipedia
- Tivo DVR Service Website
- Where to buy the Tivo T6 Roamio DVR
Revision History for this Tivo Roamio T6 DVR Review
- 2019-05-26: Added key word targeting for ‘Tivo Roamio T6 DVR’, deleted ad code, and added tags and links.
- 2015-12-21: Added more appropriate tags.
- 2015-10-05: Added tags.
- 2015-02-26: Originally published.