TiVo Stream 4K goes on sale w/ Android TV, $49.99 for a limited time only

Ben Schoon | May 6 2020 - 7:54 am PT

After its debut at CES and a slight delay, the latest Android TV dongle is here. TiVo’s Stream 4K is set to offer a unique streaming experience in your living room, and for a limited time, the device is super affordable.

First things first, let’s talk hardware. The TiVo Stream 4K is one of the first HDMI dongles powered by Google’s Android TV platform. There have been a couple of other consumer-level options before now, most notably the AirTV Mini, and the Stream 4K offers a similar package to that. The device hangs out of the back of your TV with a relatively small overall size that’s basically an unassuming black box.

One of the big changes in the hardware department, though, is the remote. TiVo delivers its usual shape and a full remote layout — number pad, channel rocker, TiVo button, and all! This is unique in the world of streaming boxes because, for the most part, they go with a more limited remote layout that gets rid of traditional TV navigation methods.

TiVo Stream 4K is based on Google’s Android TV platform, though using a modified version under the “Operator Tier Lite.” The overall homescreen and app experience is mostly the same, but this allows TiVo the closer access it needs for the channel-surfing experience and its own streaming apps. That channel-surfing experience, too, integrates channels from other services including Sling TV.

Stream 4K also supports Netflix and Prime Video out of the box, as well as supporting most other Android TV apps. There are no additional fees from TiVo, too, and the device supports 4K HDR content and Google Assistant using its remote.

TiVo has opened sales of the Stream 4K today for $49.99, $20 off the full retail price of $69.99. You can order exclusively from TiVo’s own website.