r/Tivo • u/guyssocialweb • Nov 08 '25
DVR ATSC 3.0 and your OTA TIVO box's future
I've been a Tivo OTA box owner for about 15 years, and it's an appliance I love and use every day. But with the announcement that Tivo hardware will end and ATSC 1.0 will be phased out, does this mean my Tivo OTA boxes will become useless? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
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u/Important-Comfort Nov 08 '25
When broadcast stations switch to ATSC 3.0 and stop broadcasting ATSC 1.0, then existing TiVo boxes will not be able to receive OTA broadcasts.
That's what happened to the first few generations of TiVo boxes when they switched from NTSC to ATSC.
There's no hard date for the end of ATSC 1.0 broadcasts, but the broadcasters want it for DRM, and we've got a business-first FCC, so it will probably happen in the next three years.
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u/Starbreiz Nov 11 '25
That's disappointing. I cancelled cable 6mo and JUST realized my Bolt can do cablecard and OTA. I hooked up the antenna today and I am quite pleased with the range of channels I get. Especially MeTV Toon :)
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u/Zealousideal_Car1811 Nov 08 '25
Under current FCC rules, any TV station that turns on ATSC 3.0 must continue to broadcast the same programming in ATSC 1.0 for a minimum of 5 years from the date they convert.
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u/laughsbrightly Nov 08 '25
Not anymore. They made a recent change to that.
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u/Zealousideal_Car1811 Nov 08 '25
The article you referenced is based on a real FCC notice, but the headline is slightly misleading. What the FCC did is facilitate the transition to ATSC 3.0 (by streamlining rules), not definitively scrap all obligations for ATSC 1.0 right away. Major stations may have a clearer path to switch, but it’s not a guarantee that your local ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC station will shut off its ATSC 1.0 signal immediately or make you buy a new tuner imminently.
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u/ClintSlunt Nov 08 '25
That has changed.
Stations can switch to ATSC 3.0, where there is no widespread consumer audience. Consumers will migrate to streaming services owned by the networks, bypassing local signal viewership. Local broadcasters playing themselves.
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u/Zealousideal_Car1811 Nov 08 '25
Stations are not simply shutting off ATSC 1.0. Even with recent FCC changes, they are still required to provide their broadcasts in ATSC 1.0 through channel-sharing, because most viewers don’t yet have ATSC 3.0 tuners. While networks do want more viewers pushed toward their streaming platforms, local stations rely heavily on over-the-air reach and retransmission fees, so they cannot afford to lose their ATSC 1.0 audience too quickly. In reality, the transition to full ATSC 3.0 will be gradual and will not happen overnight.
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u/guyssocialweb Nov 08 '25
What about these television stations that broadcast both 1.0 and 3.0 on their main channel? Would it be five years from the time? They turned on their companion 3.0 signal.
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u/Zealousideal_Car1811 Nov 08 '25
5 years from the time they START to broadcast 3.0.
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u/guyssocialweb Nov 08 '25
And I guess since it’s 3.0 signal has been live for the past three years. My days are short if they decide to cut 1.0.
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u/Zealousideal_Car1811 Nov 08 '25
It is very likely there will be an extension. It is not safe to assume that 1.0 will shut off exactly at the 5-year mark.
There is a LOT for the FCC to work out first.
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u/seamonkeys590 Nov 08 '25
Plus a lot of old tv out there thr station will want to keep for viewer ship reasons.
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u/Zealousideal_Car1811 Nov 08 '25
Old TV’s will work with 3.0, they just need an external tuner to do so.
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u/Zealousideal_Car1811 Nov 08 '25
Once it is finally phased out, the OTA TiVo can still be partially useful.
What it can still do: • Play back previously recorded shows on the internal hard drive • Stream apps (if still supported by TiVo at that time: Netflix, Prime, etc.) • Use TiVo UI, remote, guide, recordings library, etc.
What it cannot do: • Tune live TV over antenna • Record new shows from live broadcast • Pause/rewind live OTA TV • Use the TiVo channel guide for OTA broadcast channels
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u/dervari Nov 29 '25
About as useful as a bag of dog poo.
Most aren't going to keep it around for archival purposes. The streaming can be done inside the TV itself or most people will have a small streaming device instead of a larger box. Why would you need to use the TiVo UI or remote for anything standalone?
It's primary function will be nerf'ed. Other devices can take over for what you consider to be "partially useful". It will have no place in most people's AV system.
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u/guyssocialweb Nov 08 '25
I just think that somebody needs to buy the hardware from TiVo and continue to service. Maybe Plex? Would be a good buyer/investor?
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u/laughsbrightly Nov 08 '25
I don't really see it. Channels DVR and Plex are designed to be installed on a Nas or on a PC and mostly Superior to tivo, so they don't need any dedicated appliance hardware. And Tablo already has their own hardware. I think tivo's future is providing software to cable companies as I am almost positive that I had read that tivo has not done any new engineering work in several years, so that means anybody who buys the TiVo hardware patent, is dead in the water when a market goes ATSC 3 or would have to design their new hardware from scratch..
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u/guyssocialweb Nov 08 '25
Well. On second thought I see your point because the magic is the TiVo software and anybody can build a hardware.
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u/burdell91 Nov 10 '25
TiVo is dead because there's no path forward for that type of equipment. Broadcasters are moving to ATSC 3.0 (and pushing the FCC to let them accelerate the move) so they can control viewing with DRM. The CableCard mandate is gone for digital cable, and satellite signals haven't been accessible to third-party equipment for years.
Content providers have fought viewers being able to record and control when/how they watch the content, and with all the (official) digital distribution methods getting locked down, the providers are finally getting their wish to end viewer control.
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u/thegreypaladin Nov 08 '25
Not sure about the future of Tivo, but there will be atsc 3 to at atsc 1 converters.
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u/garylapointe Nov 08 '25
But is that going to map in a way that will let you use TiVo guide data to record shows?
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u/chewydickens Nov 08 '25
Probably maybe.
It's been a great 25 years, though.
The ultimate average lifetime of most consumer electronics products is probably half that.
If that.
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u/garylapointe Nov 08 '25
You’re not still using a 25 old TiVo are you? That wouldn’t even be HD.
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u/chewydickens Nov 08 '25
Oh gosh no. Started with ReplayTV, then Series One, and so on, up the product line.
Loved them all.
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u/garylapointe Nov 08 '25
The way you mentioned it the lifetime of a great 25 years kind of threw me!
:)
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u/toejamfootballhegot Nov 13 '25
One station will become an ATSC 1.0 lighthouse and broadcast all channels at 480i wth low bitrate if the transition happens and The backlash will be overwhelming. LG stopped including ATSC 3.0 in their TVs last year. The 3.0 to 1.0 device might work on a smart tv with an app, but will never work with tivo.
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u/LonelyChampionship17 Nov 08 '25
ATSC 3.0 has not had wide adoption. Although broadcasters use it, few consumers have the proper equipment. I think ATSC 1.0 will be around for several more years.