TiVo is attempting an ambitious lineup of products called the Roamio line. These products include the Roamio Pro, Roamio Plus, and Roamio. These are all DVRs that promise to be better than any DVR you've ever seen before. Today, TiVo officially released the Roamio Pro.

The Roamio Pro is a $599 DVR that can record up to 450 hours of HD programming. This DVR also has WiFi capabilities and is meant to be the only DVR you'll ever need. But, how does it all stack up? Can TiVo live up to those DVR promises, or is this just a big box full of emptiness? Let's take a look at the Roamio Pro DVR.

The Setup

TiVo's newest DVR only works with Verizon FIOS and standard cable TV service, so you can't use this DVR if you have satellite - an important note. In order to set up the Roamio Pro, you will have to purchase a cable card from your cable company (this tends to cost a few dollars per month, so add on that cost to the whole package).

If you have FIOS, all you have to do is activate that cable card online. If not, you'll have to call your cable company in order to activate the card. Once activated, you can get to work.

The Guts

The reason why TiVo can price the Roamio Pro at $599 is because this DVR can record programming on six channels at once. In addition, the Roamio Pro can then stream all of your recorded shows to any iPad in your home. In the near future, this DVR will also be able to stream shows to WiFi anywhere, so you don't have to stream it to your home, exactly.

The Roamio Pro also comes with Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify apps, and has Chromecast support. This DVR is also fast - TiVo states that the Roamio Pro is up to 2.5 times faster than previous TiVo DVRs. That's fast. TiVo is including a new RF remote in the package (smaller and simpler to use), and the UI responds quickly and seamlessly to the remote. Recording and deleting shows is simple, fast, and all-around painless too.

Some Additional Tricks

Not only can the Roamio Pro make recording shows easier and quicker, but this DVR does more than record. You can send movies from your phone or tablet using Chromecast (DIAL standard is supported), and you can also move through Netflix and YouTube without a hitch.

The one drawback to the Roamio Pro is the Amazon movie selection, which still lags greatly behind what Apple TV offers. But, TiVo can't move on the Amazon app without Amazon's permission and input, so that might take awhile. Bad Amazon app aside, though, the Roamio Pro is one of the best DVR options on the current market.

Conclusion

Is the Roamio Pro worth the hefty $599 price tag? If you aren't getting a lot out of your cable TV package right now, this DVR will make spending money on cable a bit more worth that monthly price simply because you can now record up to six shows at once (so you'll watch more TV, effectively). TiVo has created an amazing DVR that is sure to sell well, even though the price on this one rather high.